The World Health Organization (WHO) issued recommendations on the use of antibiotics in agriculture. Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Acting Chief Scientist with the USDA, says the WHO guidelines are not in alignment with U.S. policy and aren’t supported by sound science. “The recommendations incorrectly combine disease prevention with growth promotion in animals,” she says. “The WHO previously requested the standards for …
Working on Sugar Support Programs Before 2018 Farm Bill
Politico’s Morning Ag Report says North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx is working on sugar market reforms as the 2018 Farm Bill draws closer. Foxx and a bipartisan group of more than 30 members of Congress have introduced the Sugar Policy Modernization Act. She says the policies within the legislation will keep processors from having to forfeit their crops and …
China Online Mall To Buy Large Amounts of Beef and Pork
JD.com Commits to Purchasing More Than $2 Billion of U.S. Goods Over Next Three Years Includes agreements to import over $1.2 billion of U.S. beef and pork JD.com, (NASDAQ:JD), China’s largest retailer, participated in a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People, with the company entering agreements to purchase in excess of $1.2 billion of beef from The Montana Stock Growers Association (MSGA) …
Asian Trip Highlights Lack of Trade Deals with America
President Donald Trump is on a trip to Asian countries this week. Politico Dot Com says he’s likely to be looking for new trade deals, but many of the countries he’s traveling through don’t want to negotiate a two-way deal with the U.S. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping celebrated new deals on Wednesday as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross brought …
House Ag Committee Leaders Call for NAFTA Conclusion
House Ag Committee leaders and a group of farm lobbyists are calling on the Trump Administration to not withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Hagstrom Report says they’re also asking the White House to finish negotiations quickly to avoid potential declines in agricultural exports. Texas Republican and House Ag Committee Chair Michael Conaway and Minnesota Democrat …
Grain Exports Provide $55.5 Billion in Economic Output
Exporting feed grains and related products is worth a lot of money to the U.S. economy. Those exports offer billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic benefits to farmers, the rural communities they live in, and the nation as a whole. Research commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council and the National Corn Growers Association provided concrete numbers to the …
National Milk Producers Federation Talks Issues at Annual Meeting
The dairy industry gathered recently in California at the 101st Annual Meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation in Anaheim. For the last 20 years, the meeting has been held in conjunction with the National Dairy Checkoff. Chris Galen with the National Milk Producers Federation says there are many topics on the table for the dairy industry. In regard to …
U.S. Meat Export Federation Expanding Efforts to Move More Products
There’s a lot of red meat available for consumption. The U.S. Meat Export Federation is looking at a busy year trying to get that meat out into different markets. Dennis Stiffler is the new Chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, and he says the American trade agenda is a little bit uncertain right now. While USMEF doesn’t deal with …
NIFA to Invest in Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a competitive opportunity to conduct research on the environmental effects of genetically engineered (GE) organisms, including plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms. The $3.5 million in grants is available through NIFA’s Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants (BRAG) Program. The BRAG program supports applied and fundamental research to help federal …
Trump’s Aggressive Trade Strategy Both Defended and Criticized in Farm Circles
President Trump’s aggressive trade strategy of threatening to pull out of existing agreements without big concessions to the U.S. is being both defended and criticized in farm circles. President Trump is again taking a hard line with U.S. trading partners in Asia, after first dumping TPP and now threatening to ditch NAFTA. It’s a strategy that has many, especially in …