The Rural Mainstreet Index, which measures the economic outlook in rural America, was hit hard by rural bankers who expressed concerns about trade tensions and their effect on the farm economy. “An unresolved North American Free Trade Agreement and rising trade tensions with China are significant concerns,” says Ernie Goss, Creighton University economist and author of the Rural Mainstreet Index. …
Russia Approves Bayer Acquisition of Monsanto
Bayer announced another country has given its approval of the company’s purchase of Monsanto. A Dow Jones report says Russia has given conditional approval of Bayer’s $57 billion acquisition of Monsanto if the German company agrees to transfer certain technologies to Russian recipients. Under the approval terms, Bayer agreed to transfer molecular breeding assets in several crops for a period …
Soybean Farmers Can’t Replace Chinese Business
U.S. soybean exports could drop as much as 65 percent if the back-and-forth trade rhetoric battle between the two largest economies causes China to slap on retaliatory tariffs. Politico says that number comes from a soon-to-be-published report out of Purdue University. Earlier this month, China said it will put a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans if President Trump follows …
Dicamba Legal Battle Continues in Arkansas
Nearly 200 farmers have obtained temporary restraining orders against the Arkansas in-season ban on dicamba use. A DTN report says judges in three counties have granted restraining orders in response to last-minutes complaints filed by farmers. The office of State Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is filing appeals of those decisions to the state Supreme Court. In the meantime, a spokeswoman …
Wildfire Aid Amendment Included in Farm Bill Proposal
Wildfires have burned major portions of Oklahoma, as well as several other areas in the High Plains, over the past week. In an attempt to give better aid to people in those areas, a Drover’s report says Kansas Republican Representative Roger Marshall proposed an amendment that was included in the House Farm Bill, which passed out of the Ag Committee …
Peterson: Pelosi Didn’t Direct Farm Bill, but Ryan May Have
Republicans in the House have accused Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of pushing Democrats on the House Agricultural Committee to oppose the House version of the farm bill. The biggest objection is over proposed changes to the nutrition title. However, ranking member Collin Peterson of Minnesota told the Hagstrom Report that he hadn’t discussed the farm bill with her until last …
Earth Day, UF Researchers Say Conserve Water Now or Pay the Price Later
Florida residents are using more and more water every day, leaving future Floridians with more expensive options to meet anticipated needs, according to University of Florida researchers. Earth Day, April 22, is a great time to start conserving water. “Water is a natural resource, and if we don’t take care of it we will really struggle to leave something for …
Baldwin, Ernst, Introduce Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Bill
Senators Tammy Baldwin and Joni Ernst Thursday introduced legislation to fund the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. The two say the legislation will provide farmers with critical support and resources to respond to the difficult economic times. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found agricultural workers have a higher suicide rate than any other …
Japan-EU Trade Agreement Threatens U.S. Pork Exports to Japan
The Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service says a Japan-EU trade agreement threatens U.S. pork exports to Japan. Japan and the EU announced finalization of negotiations on the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement in December of last year. For 2017, Japan imported $1.68 billion of pork from the U.S. and $1.69 billion from the European Union. Japan ranked as the world’s …
Trump: Not Interested in Re-joining TPP
President Donald Trump says “I don’t want to go back into” the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump told reporters “the media has not covered the TPP correctly.” President Trump however did say that “if they offered us a deal that I can’t refuse, on behalf of the United States, I would …