China’s Ministry of Agriculture announced it has approved two more genetically modified crops for import into the country. A Reuters article says it’s the second move in the past month to expand access to biotech seeds as a part of Beijing’s 100-day trade talks with Washington. The Ministry approved Syngenta’s 5307 insecticide-resistant corn sold under the Agrisure Duricade brand. It …
Conaway Applauds Trump Administration’s NAFTA Plan
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) applauded U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer’s newly-released NAFTA objectives detailing the administration’s plans to expand market opportunities and tighten enforcement of trade obligations to protect U.S. agriculture producers. Upon the release of the plan, Chairman Conaway made the following remarks: “As the administration looks to highlight American-made products this week, there …
USTR Releases NAFTA Negotiating Objectives
United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer today released a detailed and comprehensive summary of the negotiating objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Through the renegotiation of NAFTA, the Trump Administration will seek a much better agreement that reduces the U.S. trade deficit and is fair for all Americans by improving market access in Canada …
Ag Groups, Perdue Applaud Censky Nomination
Agriculture groups, along with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue applauded President Donald Trump’s nomination of Steve Censky as Deputy Agriculture Secretary. The nomination was rumored for months. The White House described Censky as a Missourian since he has lived for many years in the suburbs of St. Louis where ASA is headquartered, but Censky grew up on a soybean, corn and …
Urban Agriculture Conservation Grants Awarded
The National Association of Conservation Districts, in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has awarded $1 million in grants to 19 conservation districts in 14 states to boost technical assistance capacity for urban agriculture and conservation projects. “Our work as conservationists has evolved since the Dust Bowl when many of our nation’s 3,000 conservation districts were first established,” NACD …
Cary Lightsey to Judge 2017 Farmer of the Year Awards
Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Cary Lightsey of Lake Wales, Fla., has been selected as the newest judge of the prestigious Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year awards. This year as a judge, he will join farmer Thomas Porter, Jr., from Concord, N.C., and Charles Snipes of Greenville, Miss., in visiting the farms of the …
Pruitt, Zinke Visit State Farm Bureau Presidents
During a Washington, D.C. meeting earlier this week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt told state Farm Bureau President’s that “The farming industry deserves regulatory certainty.” While speaking during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Council of President’s meeting, Pruitt told the group EPA is returning power to the states and “standing with farmers who have been hurt by misguided policies …
Tennessee Joins Other States limiting Dicamba Use
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture announced new limits on the use of dicamba-based herbicides this week. The move follows practical bans issued by Arkansas and Missouri for using dicamba for row crop applications, as concerns and drift damages mount. Missouri, however, released its “stop sale, use or removal” order Thursday on dicamba-based herbicides. The new rule in Tennessee restricts the …
Cattle Groups Applaud Proposed Delay of Electronic Logging Requirements for Trucking
Cattle groups, including the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, applauded the proposed delay of electronic logging requirements for livestock haulers. Language in a U.S. House bill would delay the requirements mandating the use of electronic logging devices in livestock hauling trucks for one year. USCA’s Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Hilker says the bill allows time for …
KORUS Review Could Follow NAFTA Renegotiations
The Donald Trump Administration appears to be planning to reexamine the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) after the North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations, if not sooner. Politico reports that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week formally requested talks with South Korea to consider changes to the five-year-old deal, with a focus on reducing the $28 billion bilateral …