USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs, Ted McKinney, addressed the delegates and members of the U.S. Grains Council early this week. He gave them updates on ongoing trade negotiations that will affect global grains market access. McKinney also announced a $1.3 million-dollar grant for Council feed industry training programs in North Africa and the Middle East. The U.S. …
South Korea Driving Recent Surge in U.S. Beef/Pork Exports
For the past year, South Korea has been one of the top global markets for U.S. beef and pork exports. The South Korean director for the U.S. Meat Export Federation says the American beef industry has been very successful in restoring consumer confidence in U.S. beef. Many Korean restaurants and retailers that were once reluctant to carry U.S. beef now …
Trump Budget Proposal Considered “DOA”
Presidential budget proposals have been dead on arrival before. However, the Hagstrom Report says no budget outline has been as dead as the one President Trump sent to members of Congress on Monday. No one in the entire American food chain seems happy with what they’ve seen. Everyone, from members of Congress to farm leaders, crop insurance executives, as well …
Feeding Minds Press Will Focus on Accurate Agriculture Books for Children
Bringing children accurate knowledge about how their food is grown is the goal of Feeding Minds Press, a new children’s book publishing venture from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The new publisher’s first book will be “Right This Very Minute,” written by award-winning author Lisl Detlefsen. It is scheduled for release in January 2019. “‘Right This Very Minute’ …
ASA Hires Ryan Findlay as Chief Executive Officer
The American Soybean Association announced the selection of Ryan Findlay as its new Chief Executive Officer. Findlay replaces Stephen Censky, who left ASA in October of 2017 after confirmation by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. “ASA is extremely pleased to have found someone of Ryan’s caliber and experience to lead us into our next chapter as a …
Emissions Reporting Relief Bill a Breath of Fresh Air for Ag
The introduction of S. 2421, the Fair Agriculture Reporting Method (FARM) Act is a welcome relief to farmers and ranchers who will soon need to file unnecessary, low-level continuous air emissions reports under federal Superfund and emergency response laws. “Congress enacted Superfund and emergency response laws to provide the tools needed to quickly respond to hazardous waste emergencies. Emissions from …
Cattlemen Applaud Introduction of Strong Bipartisan Bill in U.S. Senate to Prevent Farms, Ranches From Being Regulated Like Toxic Superfund Sites
Ten Republicans, Ten Democrats Join Together As Initial Co-Sponsors on Fischer-Donnelly FARM Act The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate that would prevent farms, ranches, and other agricultural operations from having to report livestock manure data under CERCLA, the law that governs toxic Superfund sites. The bipartisan bill was introduced with …
USDA: Pesticide Residue Levels Show No Risk to Consumers
More than 20 percent of the food sampled by the USDA in 2016 showed no detectable pesticide levels and less than .5 percent of the food had detectable residue levels above limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. A USDA report titled “What Consumers Should Know” says, again this year, the U.S. food supply is one of the safest in …
Sorghum Producers Look into Chinese Anti-Dumping Investigation
The National Sorghum Producers are looking at how to respond to China’s announcement of anti-dumping and countervailing duties investigations into imports of U.S. sorghum. China’s Ministry of Commerce made the investigation announcement on Sunday. National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said his organization plans to fully participate in the investigations. They also intend to work closely with industry stakeholders and …
Canada: 73 Percent of U.S. Milk Price is Subsidized
Canada’s dairy subsidies have been a controversial topic during the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. For many years, the U.S. dairy industry has claimed that their Canadian counterparts are heavily subsidized through their dairy supply management program. The U.S. says that supply management program, and the Class and pricing systems in place, creates an unfair playing field. The …