One of the less incendiary tweets sent out last week by President Trump had to do with the American sugar industry, making corn and sugar lobbyists happy. Trump tweeted, “New sugar deal negotiated with Mexico is a good one for both Mexico and the U.S. Had no deal for many years, which hurt U.S. badly.” The deal announced last month …
Trump Talks Trade with South Korea
President Donald Trump met with the new President of South Korea on Friday and opened up the session with tough trade talk. An L.A. Times article says Trump announced he will be renegotiating a trade agreement with South Korea that’s already been in place for five years. The agreement is a co-legacy for both Presidents Bush and Obama and it …
House Subcommittee Limits USDA Cuts to 5 Percent
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee advanced the fiscal year 2018 spending bill for discretionary programs at USDA and other agencies at just over $20 billion. That’s a $1.1 billion cut from last year’s funding bill and 5.2 percent less than current funding levels. If those numbers hold, USDA would get roughly $876 million less in funding levels compared to the …
USDA Report Shows Record Soybean Acres
The USDA released it’s June Acreage and Stocks report on Friday, with soybean acres coming in at record levels. Soybean planted area for 2017 is estimated at a record high 89.5 million acres, up 7 percent from last year. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2017 is estimated at 90.9 million acres, down 3 percent from last year. Area …
NBB Considers Legal Action over Biodiesel Dumping
The National Biodiesel Board says it will consider all possible legal actions as it looks into what it calls a flood of biodiesel entering the country from Argentina. The N.B.B. says new data is out showing subsidized biodiesel imports from Argentina are still continuing to surge, pushing even higher in recent weeks. A June report from a business intelligence company …
U.S. Swine Herd is Expanding
The June USDA quarterly hog and pigs report showed an expanding U.S. swine herd. As of June 1st, there were 71.7 million hogs and pigs on American farms, up three percent from June of 2016 and the second largest inventory on record ever. National Hog Farmer Dot Com says the industry is in a growth mode, with the question now …
Groups Celebrate First U.S. Beef to China
In a historic ceremony on Friday, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) helped welcome the first shipments of American-produced beef into China since 2003. NCBA President Craig Uden joined Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad, and Chinese officials at the ceremony in Beijing. The highlight came when Uden and Perdue participated in a “joint cutting of the prime …
Farm Groups Have Their Say at NAFTA Hearings
Farm groups and Ag organizations spoke their mind during hearings before the International Trade Commission on the upcoming North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. While they all had different messages, Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report said the overriding theme was a simple one: don’t harm agricultural exports. Each speaker pushed for benefits favorable to their groups while trying to hold onto …
In China, Perdue Welcomes U.S. Beef back to Market
Slices Ceremonial Prime Rib, Meets with Chinese Officials in Beijing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue joined with U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad to slice a Nebraska prime rib in a Beijing ceremony, formally marking the return of U.S. beef to the Chinese market after a 13-year hiatus. Perdue celebrated the reintroduction of American beef products to China after …
Two Counties in Georgia Designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
In response to a request from Dianne Westmoreland, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Acting State Executive Director in Georgia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Burke and Wilcox counties in Georgia as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by freeze that occurred from March 15, 2017, through March 17, 2017. Farmers and ranchers in the …