The Georgia Peanut Commission and Georgia Bankers Association will join forces Oct. 16-20, 2017, to promote the 41st annual Georgia Peanut Bank Week. Financial institutions and local banks across the state will offer a tribute to Georgia’s 3,400 peanut farm families and the sustainability they provide to Georgia’s state and local economies. The 2017 theme, “Peanuts: Sustaining Georgia’s Rural Economy,” …
RFA Urging President Trump to Maintain Strong Commitment to Biofuels
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent “consideration of drastic, unprecedented changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFA)” would undermine the future growth of the biofuels industry, the Renewable Fuels Association and 10 other biofuel groups wrote today to President Trump. In the letter, the groups urged the president to ensure the administration remains firm in its commitment to the U.S. biofuels …
Fertilizer Company to Halt Production to Curb Excess Supply
Canada’s Potash Corp announced last week it would temporarily shut down production at two Canadian mines, as part of a longstanding strategy to match supply to demand. Reuters says the company will curtail output at one facility for ten weeks starting November 19th, and for eight weeks at another facility starting December 3rd. It said the number of temporary layoffs …
Japan Tariff Reduced U.S. Beef Exports
U.S. frozen beef exports to Japan are down 26 percent after Japan imposed an emergency tariff due to an influx of frozen beef from the United States. The tariff increased from 38.5 percent to 50 percent of the Japanese market, to protect domestic producers. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports Japan’s frozen beef imports from the U.S. were 4,317 metric tons …
Trump on KORUS to Lighthizer: Call Me a “Crazy Guy”
Online source Axios reports that President Donald Trump told U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to portray him as a “crazy guy” during the upcoming U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement meeting. South Korea will host the meeting with Lighthizer this week to discuss “ways to move forward” with KORUS. The meeting is the second on KORUS, following discussion between Korea and U.S. …
NAFTA Talks to Return to Washington, D.C.
The North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiation effort will return to Washington, D.C. this month for the fourth round of official talks. The negotiations will resume October 11th through the 15th, following a round of talks in Canada last month. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said progress was made in the most recent meetings “on a number of …
Dairy Industry Organizations Support Legislation Creating New Agriculture Guest Worker Program
A coalition of dozens of dairy farm organizations, led by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), is supporting new congressional legislation that would help address one of the most challenging issues affecting America’s milk producers: obtaining a dependable, legal workforce. A founding member of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, NMPF was joined by 57 dairy cooperatives and state dairy farmer associations …
Senator Seeks $100 Million for Florida Forever
At least $100 million a year would be set aside for Florida Forever, the state’s most prominent land-preservation fund, under a measure filed by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island. Bradley’s proposal (SB 370) would annually designate a portion of the state’s Land Acquisition Trust Fund for the Florida Forever program, which in the past received as much as $300 million …
APHIS to Allow the Importation of Fresh Persimmons from New Zealand
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending its regulations to allow the importation of fresh persimmons from New Zealand into the United States. After analyzing the potential plant pest risks, APHIS scientists determined that persimmons from New Zealand can be safely imported into the United States under a systems approach. A systems approach …
Farmers, Ranchers Ready for Long-overdue Immigration Reform
The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Every year, farmers and ranchers face greater challenges in finding enough workers to keep their businesses running. The labor shortage on America’s farms and ranches is growing, and the lack of a stable, legal supply of workers places the health of too many farms at risk. …