China soybean processors are purchasing record volumes of Brazilian soybeans and cutting purchases of U.S. soybeans. U.S. soybeans face steep tariffs in China thanks to the ongoing tit-for-tat trade war between the U.S. and China. A Singapore-based trader told Reuters that China is “willing to pay higher prices for Brazilian beans than what domestic crushers are paying.” Brazil’s typical soybean …
China Sets More Tariffs on U.S. Food and Ag Imports
China said Tuesday that it will hit back against President Donald Trump with retaliatory duties of five or 10 percent against another $60 billion worth of American products. The response comes one day after Trump issued the largest number of tariffs yet in an escalating trade dispute. Politico says China is scheduled to implement their plan on Monday to coincide …
Global Pork Production Shifting Because of Virus
A Rabobank report says the African Swine Fever virus has shifted the outlook for the global pork industry. The virus was first found in China and has now been confirmed in Belgium. Rabobank says the potential for the spread of the disease around the world has increased exponentially. Twenty cases have been confirmed in China. The Rabobank report says, “It’s …
Trump China Trade War Troubling Talks with Japan
The ongoing trade war with China is threatening trade relations with Japan. Reuters reports that the start of a second round of trade talks between Japan and the United States will be delayed until after fresh tariffs imposed on China by the United States come into force on September 24th. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Trump were expected …
Farm Bureau Details Trade, Tariff Impacts on Agriculture
For the growth and renewed prosperity of agriculture, particularly with farm income on a downward slope, current trading relationships must be preserved and new opportunities for agricultural trade must be secured, the American Farm Bureau Federation said in a recent statement to the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Farm Bureau urges our trade officials to engage in discussions with our trade partners …
Trump: the U.S. Under “No Pressure” to Make Deal with China
President Donald Trump pushed back at the Wall Street Journal, which ran an article saying the U.S. was under pressure to make a deal with China. The Hill Dot Com says Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin recently invited Chinese officials to come to Washington for negotiations, which Beijing accepted. The Wall Street Journal reported that the invite came about because of …
ASF Found in Belgium and Spreading in China
Belgian authorities confirmed that the African Swine Fever (ASF) Virus has been found in their country. That’s adding to increasing worries about the virus moving into western Europe. The trade association website Meating Place Dot Com says the country’s food safety agency has found the virus in two wild boars in the southern part of the country. Belgian authorities are …
China Cuts Soybean Import Forecast
China this week lowered its forecast for the 2018-2019 import season for soybeans due to the trade conflict between the U.S. and China. Farmers are reducing their use of soybeans in animal feed in China as China has placed massive tariffs on U.S. soybeans. Imports of soybeans in the crop year that starts on October first will be 83.65 million …
USDA Details Trade Damage Estimate Calculations
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released a detailed accounting of how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) calculated estimated damage from trade disruptions. USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist developed an estimate of gross trade damages for commodities with assessed retaliatory tariffs by Canada, China, the European Union, Mexico, and Turkey to set commodity payment rates and purchase levels …
Industry Coalition Opposes New China Tariffs
A coalition of more than 150 business groups, including several in agriculture, wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week regarding trade. The Hagstrom Report says the groups fear additional 10 percent or 25 percent tariffs, put in place under Section 301 authority, will backfire. The letter says, “Continuing the tit-for-tat escalation with China only serves to …