American Farm Bureau Federation policy experts gave an overview of the issues expected to affect farmers and ranchers in 2019 in a workshop at the organization’s 100th Annual Convention. David Salmonsen, senior director of congressional relations for AFBF, said the diverse impacts of tariffs, the outcomes of free trade agreement negotiations and the future of relations with China are all …
Perdue on Extension of Market Facilitation Program Deadline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an extension to the original deadline for Market Facilitation Program applications. Agricultural producers who are seeking payments through the program, which is a part of the trade mitigation initiative, will now have more time to submit their applications. “President Trump instructed me, as Secretary of Agriculture, to craft a program that would …
Shutdown Delays USMCA Trade Agreement
The government shutdown could stall progress on President Trump’s North American Free Trade Agreement replacement, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Analysis of the agreement has stopped during the shutdown as the U.S. International Trade Commission, responsible for examining the trade agreement, remains at a standstill. If continued, Politico reports the shutdown could delay release of the report on the economic impact …
Foreign Ag Service Worked to Expand Trade in 2018
The USDA worked diligently in 2018 to expand trade opportunities around the world for U.S. ag producers. Those efforts paid off as global sales remained strong in spite of challenges in the trade arena through the year. Ted McKinney, Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, says it’s been a “rollercoaster ride this year,” but U.S. farm exports remain strong, …
Desantis Urged to Help Farmers on Trade Deal
Incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis is being urged to use his close ties with President Donald Trump to bolster efforts to help Florida farmers fend off low-priced crop imports that weren’t addressed in the rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement. During a conference call last week, several members of DeSantis’ Transition Advisory Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources & …
U.S. Beef Competitors Seeing Benefits in Japan
Japan started cutting tariffs for some of U.S. agriculture’s biggest competitors, especially for beef. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile will all benefit from lower Japanese tariffs. That, after the U.S. pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, and the remaining 11-nations made their own separate deal. Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman has the story. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Industry Supports Administration …
USMCA and U.S. Ag Trade Benefits
When it comes to the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), many wonder what some of the expected immediate and long-range U.S. ag trade benefits are. Rod Bain takes a look at that new trade agreement. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Industry Supports Administration of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary 9, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Significant Support For ResearchDecember 19, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement …
NCGA: Trade Aid Comes up Short
The National Corn Growers Association says the second round of trade aid payments provide virtually no relief. According to NCGA the payments, released by the White House last week, sets the payment rate for corn at just one cent per bushel, despite the fact that corn farmers have suffered an average 44 cent per bushel loss since tariffs were first …
Ag Must Be Part Of U.S.-EU Trade Deal, Groups Insist
An ad hoc coalition of more than 50 food and agriculture organizations is insisting that any trade deal between the United States and the European Union include agriculture and that it address the EU’s restrictive tariff and non-tariff barriers to U.S. farm products. In a letter sent to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 53 organizations, led by the National Pork …
Round Two of Trade Mitigation Payments Coming from USDA
The second round of trade mitigation payments will be coming to aid farmers and ranchers affected by the trade retaliation from other countries. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made the announcement today after being authorized by President Donald Trump. It will be the final round of trade mitigation payments that were originally announced back in July in response to …