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 …
New UF Center Updating Research on Southeastern Agricultural Health and Safety
by Ricky Telg, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Data about the safety and health of agricultural, forestry and fisheries workers in Florida is severely outdated, according to the director of a newly formed agricultural health and safety center, and is a major reason the new Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (SCCAHS) was established. SCCAHS …
Agriculture Pleased with Infrastructure Initiative
A number of farmers and industry stakeholders were in Cincinnati this week to hear President Trump discuss the Administration’s infrastructure initiative. The event was designed to highlight the economic importance for infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges and the inland waterways system. According to a story from Rod Bain, President Trump was joined at the event by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. …
Conaway Applauds Delay of Compliance Dates for FSMA Agricultural Water Standards
“Producers need additional time to come into compliance with FSMA’s produce safety rules and I commend the FDA for providing this needed flexibility.” House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) issued the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to delay the compliance dates for agricultural water requirements in the FDA Food Safety …
Statement from Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on the Proposed FY 2018 Budget
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue issued the following statement on the proposed FY 2018 budget: “President Trump promised he would realign government spending, attempt to eliminate duplication or redundancy and see that all government agencies are efficiently delivering services to the taxpayers of America. And that’s exactly what we are going to do at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Having …
AgNet Hosts ‘This Week in Agribusiness’ — An Epilogue
By Gary Cooper AgNet Media Founder and President I recently connected with Max Armstrong, host of the nationally syndicated “This Week in Agribusiness” television program, for a fast-paced rural area and farm tour in Central Florida. It turned out to be a great opportunity for all involved, especially for Florida, which deserves more and better national media attention as an …
Agriculture Department Hit By Data Breach
From News Service of Florida Nearly 500 people may have had their Social Security numbers obtained in a data breach at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Also, the names of 16,190 concealed-weapon license holders — out of more than 1.75 million in the state — may have been acquired in the hack. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has …
Productivity Growth and the Revival of Russian Agriculture
by Nicholas Rada, William Liefert, and Olga Liefert, USDA Economic Research Service What Is the Issue? Russia’s agricultural output fell during the country’s transition from a planned to a market economy in the early 1990s but has rebounded strongly since the late 1990s. The production increase contributed to Russia reducing its large imports of meat and other livestock products and …
Executive Order Creates New Agriculture Panel
President Trump’s Executive Order President Trump’s Executive Order established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity “to ensure the informed exercise of regulatory authority that impacts agriculture and rural communities.” As Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue will serve as the task force’s chairman. “It is in the national interest to promote American agriculture while protecting and supporting the rural …
Sonny Perdue Sworn in as 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by fellow Georgian and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a brief ceremony at the Supreme Court building. The U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary Perdue by a vote of 87-to-11 on Monday evening. After Secretary Perdue took the oath of office, he addressed employees at …