Trade officials from Canada returned to the U.S. Wednesday as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland resumed talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, but there are so far no major developments on the contentious issues being discussed, including dairy market access and the dispute settlement mechanism, top issues for Canada, …
NAFTA Partners Say Trilateral Agreement a Must
All sides of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) want a trilateral deal between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as the White House is pushing towards separate deals. Trade officials from Mexico, along with key lawmakers and trade officials in the U.S., agree a two-way NAFTA is “incomplete,” and won’t win the approval of the U.S. Congress. President Trump …
ASTA Outlines Priorities for Final Farm Bill
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) urges members of the Farm Bill Conference Committee to include several key provisions important to the seed industry within the final bill. In a recent letter to conferees, ASTA highlighted the following priorities within the Conservation, Trade, Research, Horticulture and Crop Insurance titles: Conservation: ASTA is concerned with the proposal in the House version …
Trump Threatens to Add $200 Billion in More Tariffs
Bloomberg says President Trump wants to proceed with another $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports as soon as the public comment period wraps up next week. Six people familiar with the matter spoke anonymously with Bloomberg for the article. Companies and people have until Sept. 6 to submit comments on duties that will cover everything from semiconductors to selfie …
Agri View: Agriculture Feeling the Pain
Everett Griner talks about agriculture feeling the pain from the trade war in today’s Agri View. Agriculture Feeling the Pain The trade war situation keeps heating up. It isn’t just China. Mexico and Canada are becoming involved. It’s not just agriculture. But so far, agriculture seems to be in the most danger. Mexico imports more U.S. pork than China. Listen …
Perdue on US-China Trade Talks
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue commented this week on recent discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials in an attempt to resolve current trade disputes. Rod Bain has the story. Perdue on US-China Trade Talks
More on Trade Relief Package
Tyron Spearman has more information concerning USDA’s trade relief package announced this week, known as Market Facilitation Program. More on Trade Relief Package
USDA Trade Mitigation Plan Includes More Commodity Purchases
Most of the money allocated to the new USDA program to help farmers hurt by tariffs will go towards direct payments. But according to a story from Gary Crawford, there is a considerable amount of money that will be used for purchases of food products for feeding programs. USDA Trade Mitigation Plan Includes More Commodity Purchases-1 Greg Ibach, Undersecretary of …
Producers Welcome Help But Want End To Trade Disputes
The National Pork Producers Council commended the Trump administration for providing assistance to America’s farmers suffering from the ongoing trade disputes with China, Mexico and other nations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced details of a $12 billion aid package for U.S. agriculture, including a nearly $559 million purchase of pork for federal nutrition assistance and child nutrition programs, …
Canada Returns to NAFTA Talks
Negotiators from Canada rushed to Washington, D.C. this week to resume talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States. The U.S. is pushing to get a so-called handshake agreement with Canada, following a framework agreement with Mexico. The U.S. seeks to announce a deal by the end of this week, placing a deadline of Friday. However, …