The website AXIOS, as well as AOL, are both reporting that the Trump Administration has drafted a bill that would abandon the United States’ commitment to the World Trade Organization’s rules. Trump has reportedly been discussing the withdrawal of the U.S. from the WTO altogether. However, Congress is unlikely to approve the measure. Administration officials involved in drafting the legislation …
N.C. Legislature Overrides Veto of Farm Protection Bill
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper recently vetoed a bill that would make it difficult to sue large livestock operations. A Farm Journal report says the bill would make it more difficult to sue those operations over odor, declining property values, and other nuisance issues. The North Carolina legislature overrode the governor’s veto of the bill, the 16th of 23 total …
Pork Industry Hit from All Sides
The pork industry is holding some of its highest inventory of hogs and pigs since the USDA began recording the data back in 1964. That’s according the to the Hogs and Pigs Report that came out Thursday. Politico says pork checkoff experts struggled to find a bright spot for hog producers in the months ahead. “We’re looking at an awful …
Meat Companies Accused of Artificially Inflating Pork Prices
A class action lawsuit is accusing Hormel, Tyson Foods, and other meatpacking companies of artificially raising the price of hot dogs, bacon, and other pork products with the help of a company called Agri Stats, an info-sharing service. A Bloomberg report says the complaint was filed by a group of meat buyers in a Minnesota court on Thursday. The complaint …
Soybeans Overtake Corn in USDA Acreage Report
Soybean planted acreage topped corn for the first time since 1983, the USDA reported in its Planted Acreage Report on Friday. Soybean acreage is 89.6 million acres. That’s actually 1 percent lower than last year as planted acres are either down or unchanged in 14 of the 31 biggest soybean states. Corn acres are also down 1 percent from last …
NCBA Responds to Canada Tariff Hikes on U.S. Beef Imports
Canada has announced it will place higher tariffs on U.S. beef imports starting on Sunday, July 1. Kent Bacus is the NCBA Director of International Trade and Market Access, and he says Canada has finally followed through on actions it’s been threatening for months. “Canada has followed through on a threat to slap a tariff on $170 million worth of …
International Lawsuit Targets Heart of Trump Tariffs
A lawsuit filed at the Court of International Trade targets the heart of President Trump’s trade agenda, the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. An industry group that represents steel importers and traders will also challenge the constitutionality of the law that gave the president the power to enact the tariffs. The American Institute for International Steel filed the lawsuit, …
CDC Retracts Farmer Suicide Rate Findings
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a week ago confirmed its widely cited research on farmer suicides was wrong. The research from 2016 reported that farmers have the highest suicide rate in the country. That report found that workers in the “farming, fishing, and forestry,” job category held a suicide rate over four times the national average, far and …
Senate Passes Farm Bill, Next Stop: Conference
The Senate passed a bipartisan farm bill Thursday, sending the legislation to conference so the House and Senate can mend their differences. The vote, 86 to 11, capped off a day of consideration on the Senate floor. In a way, the Senate offered a warning shot to the House, tabling an amendment Thursday afternoon that would tighten work requirements under …
Groups Applaud Passage of the Senate Farm Bill
The Senate farm bill was passed by a margin of 86 to 11 on Thursday, meeting the unofficial goal of getting the bill passed before the Independence Day holiday. Many in the agriculture industry applauded the outcome. From the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Kevin Kester, President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, today released the following statement: “Today’s successful Senate …