Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue walked a tightrope while talking with reporters about President Trump’s budget proposals that agriculture wasn’t enamored with. One of the proposals included cuts to crop insurance. Agri-Pulse says Perdue is making strong statements in support of the program as it currently is. One of the largest cuts in the Trump Budget Proposal is to crop …
McKinney Predicts Trade Deal With Japan
The top USDA trade official, Ted McKinney, says he anticipates a trade deal with Japan will likely take place if the United States doesn’t re-enter into the Trans-Pacific Partnership. McKinney says he doesn’t know what the scope of the agreement will be but calls it “not a matter of if, but when.” He spoke about the topic during the Agricultural …
McKinney Leads Trade Mission to Central America
Ag Department Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney will lead a trade mission to Central America. The mission will be in Guatemala from February 26 to March 2nd. McKinney will be accompanied by a delegation of agribusiness and state government leaders who are looking to increase agricultural exports to Central America’s Northern Triangle of Guatemala, Honduras, …
Trump to Meet with Cabinet, Senators of Biofuels
President Trump has scheduled a meeting with Cabinet officials and key Senators to talk over potential changes to the nation’s biofuels policy. The Renewable Fuels Standard is coming under increasing attack after a bankrupt Pennsylvania refinery blamed its troubles on the regulation. The meeting comes as two of the more powerful lobbying groups, the oil and corn/ethanol industries, continue to …
Governors Lobby for NAFTA Conclusion
Governors from more than 40 states are in Washington, D.C., this weekend for their annual winter meeting. International issues like the future of trade will be among the topics they’ll cover, as well as the future of food and agriculture. The timing coincides with the start of the seventh round of NAFTA talks, which begin in Mexico City on Sunday. …
White House Economist Dodges NAFTA Withdrawal Questions
Kevin Hassett, Chief White House Economist, attacked the integrity of past and present government officials who have negotiated U.S. trade agreements. However, he declined to say if the U.S. would be better off economically should President Trump withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The question at a White House briefing was, “Would it be a good thing …
USDA Releases 2018 Planting Estimates
While some planters are already working in Texas, the Corn Belt seems a long way away from planting because of snow and ice. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is already thinking about planting. During the Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington, Virginia, the USDA released its acreage estimates for 2018. The USDA says corn and soybean acres will be …
Changes Made to H-2C Immigration Bill
A bill proposed by Virginia Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte would scrap the current H-2A program which is partly controlled by the U.S. Labor Department. It would institute an H-2C program that would be overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Goodlatte has made several amendments to the legislation after listening to concerns from ag groups. A Milk Business Dot Com …
Perdue Promotes “Harvest Box”
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue wants people who don’t like the idea of “America’s Harvest Box” to know that they are very serious about the idea. He says House Ag Committee Chair Mike Conaway is open to considering a small-scale pilot program in the 2018 Farm Bill. The Secretary has faced a lot of criticism since the proposal came out last …
Section 199A Fix Is Coming
A DTN report says Congress may be close to replacing the Section 199A language in the new tax law that curbs the advantages of farmers who sell their products to cooperatives rather than private companies. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says a possible fix would give farmer cooperatives the same tax benefits they had under the old Section 199A, known as …