Under an export certificate recently negotiated between the two countries, the United States now can ship pork to Paraguay. The National Pork Producers Council welcomed the news. “Paraguay won’t be a huge market for U.S. pork, but given the current trade climate, the U.S. pork industry needs all the new markets it can get,” said NPPC President Jim Heimerl, a …
Georgia Cotton Commission Welcomes Cotton Ginning Cost Share
On March 3, at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis, Tennessee, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a Cotton Ginning Cost Share (CGCS) program for the 2016 crop. This program provides assistance to American cotton producers who were left out of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) safety net programs during that crop year. The Georgia Cotton Commission welcomes this …
USDA Helps Cotton Producers Maintain, Expand Domestic Market
It was officially announced this past weekend that cotton producers will get a little bit of financial help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Gary Crawford has the story. Perdue Announces Renewal of Cotton Gin Cost Share Program-1 Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was in Memphis Saturday explaining why the Cotton Ginning Cost Share (CGCS) announcement was delayed. Perdue Announces …
WTO Worried About Trade Wars Resulting from Trump Tariffs
The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is concerned about President Donald Trump’s plans to impose a tariff on both steel and aluminum imports into America. Director General Roberto Azevedo says a trade war is in no one’s best interests. “The WTO is concerned about the U.S. plans for tariffs on steel and aluminum,” he says, “and the potential …
European Union Will Hit Back Against U.S. Tariffs
The President of the European Commission says he’ll “bring forward in the next few days a proposal for WTO-compatible countermeasures against the U.S.” Politico says the move is intended to hit back against the steel and aluminum tariffs announced on Thursday by President Trump. The Commission says the 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminum will directly …
Senate Confirms Key USTR Nominees
The National Cotton Council is pleased with the Senate’s confirmation of key officials in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The Senate confirmed Gregg Doud as USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Dennis Shea as Deputy USTR (Geneva) and C. J. Mahoney as Deputy USTR (Investment, Services, Labor, Environment, Africa, China, and the Western Hemisphere). Earlier this year, the NCC …
USTR Wants Renewal of Trade-Promotion Authority
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) says it plans to ask for a three-year extension of trade-promotion authority in order to negotiate new trade deals. Robert Lighthizer says those discussions could be with Japan, Vietnam, and other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership if they’re interested. Politico quotes Lighthizer as saying, “The Trump administration will aggressively negotiate trade deals …
EPA Unresponsive to Letter on RIN Prices
The official position of the Environmental Protection Agency is that high-priced Renewable Identification Numbers do no significant harm to refiners. That position was made public most recently in November of last year. Grassley, along with a handful of other Senators, sent a letter to the EPA in January asking about the agency’s previous findings that RIN prices don’t affect the …
Ag Groups Concerned About Trade Retaliation
U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers were both very disappointed in the Trump Administration’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. A statement says they have repeatedly warned of the risks of retaliation and the precedent set by such a policy would have potentially serious consequences for agriculture. The groups say it’s disappointing that …
Perdue Reaffirms Support for Ethanol, RFS
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue spoke at the Commodity Classic this week and defended his support for the Renewable Fuels Standard. A DTN report says that Perdue told farmers attending the event that President Trump unequivocally supports the RFS, corn farmers, and ethanol. The biofuel industry and corn farmers are concerned that the secretary doesn’t understand the importance of Renewable Identification …