U.S. squashes tomato deal with Mexico
Effective May 7, the United States will withdraw from a "suspension agreement" with Mexico over imports of fresh tomatoes so Washington can consider complaints of tomato dumping, said the Commerce Department on Thursday. The Florida Tomato Exchange asked the Trump administration last November to resume an investigation of whether tomatoes were being sold at less than fair value.
Farmer confidence surges, is highest since trade war began
With Trump tariff payments boosting Corn Belt farm revenue, farmer confidence shot to its highest level since last June, just before the trade war began against China, said the monthly Ag Economy Barometer published by Purdue University. Producers polled by Purdue said they expect ag exports to increase in the years ahead, an indirect sign they expect a beneficial resolution with China.
China boosts its soybean purchases to 3.8 million tonnes this week
For the third day in a row, the USDA confirmed a large sale of U.S. soybeans to China, this time 586,000 tonnes. With the purchase, reported by private exporters on Wednesday, China bought 3.8 million tonnes of soybeans in three days and is well on its way to the 5 million tonnes promised during a White House meeting last week.
2018 joins the roll of five hottest years, all since 2014
Last year was the fourth-warmest worldwide since 1880, said NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday, ranking behind 2016, 2017 and 2015. "2018 is yet again an extremely warm year on top of a long-term global warming trend," said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
Trump asks Congress to pass trade deal with Canada, Mexico
After calling NAFTA an historic trade blunder, President Trump called on Congress on Tuesday to pass its successor, saying the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) would expand American agriculture. Wheat growers responded by warning against withdrawing from NAFTA, a tactic Trump has discussed, before the new trade agreement is ratified.
Trade war panned as China buys more U.S. soy
Two outspoken Kansans scored the trade war with China as needlessly disruptive for the farm sector on Tuesday, with Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts comparing it to the five-week partial government shutdown and economist Barry Flinchbaugh urging Congress to curtail President Trump's power to impose tariffs in the name of national security. In a pause in the trade war, China bought 2.6 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans, the third-largest soy sale in USDA records.
Early release of SNAP benefits for March is possible, says Perdue
The Trump administration used a legislative loophole to issue February SNAP benefits in advance during the partial federal shutdown. With USDA funding set to expire at the middle of this month, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday that early release of March benefits may be necessary too.
Trump tariff payments top $6.4 billion as deadline nears
The USDA has received nearly 805,000 applications and paid out $6.41 billion so far in the Trump tariff payments created to buffer the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war, said the USDA on Monday. The Trump payments are the largest element of a mitigation package that was announced as a maximum of $12 billion but could turn out smaller in the end.
In trade war respite, China buys 2.25 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
The USDA confirmed on Monday the sale of 612,000 tonnes (2.25 million bushels) of U.S. soybeans to China, a small part of the 5 million tonnes promised to President Trump last week and much less than traders suggested over the weekend. China used to be the largest customer in the world for U.S. soybeans but retaliatory tariffs have reduced sales to one-eighth of their usual pace.
China and U.S. are a long way from ending trade war
The tenor of Sino-U.S. negotiations is heartening but "we're still a long way" from resolving trade war between the world's two largest economies, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at a cattle industry conference. Meanwhile, China was following through on a pledge, announced at the White House, to buy U.S. soybeans, with some trade sources putting the purchases as high as 4 million tonnes, worth $1.35 billion.
As promised, administration proposes stricter enforcement of SNAP time limit
Delayed for weeks by the partial federal shutdown, the Trump administration published its proposal to restrict states from allowing able-bodied adults to collect SNAP benefits for more than 90 days if they are not working at least 20 hours a week. The Federal Register notice ignited a campaign to block the proposal, which opponents said is contrary to the 2018 food and farm law.
At the White House, Chinese official says his country will buy more U.S. soybeans
In a letter read aloud at the White House, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing will buy more U.S. farm exports, a decision that President Trump hailed on Thursday as a sign of good faith in ongoing negotiations to end the trade war between the nations.
More and more, industry calls the shots on ag research
Legislators and governors have scaled back funding for state universities in recent years, and one result is that industry funding has become more important, says the New Food Economy. “And with industry money comes industry priorities.”
Will Trump ask for big SNAP cuts for the third time?
In budget proposals in 2017 and 2018, President Trump tried to slash funding for SNAP by about $200 billion over 10 years — roughly one-fourth of its total funding. Now, with Trump close to unveiling his fiscal 2020 budget package, the “hunger community” is concerned about a renewed call for massive cuts.
In Maryland, poultry industry monitoring initiative restarts debate
In recent years, agribusiness groups have fought legislation that would require large-scale livestock farms to report what pollutants they discharge into the air. But this week, a Maryland poultry industry group announced a partnership with the state’s environmental regulators to monitor those emissions. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Monarch population wintering in Mexico more than doubles
An annual survey of monarch butterflies hibernating in Mexico found that the population was 144 percent higher than it was in 2018. The results, said the World Wildlife Fund on Wednesday, offered “a testament to the power of conservation.”
A capital infusion for SNAP payments at farmers’ markets
An Austin-based payments company whose pending shutdown last summer threatened the ability of thousands of farmers’ markets to accept food stamps has received a $2-million lifeline from Square, the financial technology company, reports Jane Black in FERN’s latest story, published in collaboration with The Washington Post. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Stronger safety net needed, says second-largest U.S. farm group
Many farmers "are struggling to stay afloat" because of the trade war and persistently low commodity prices, said the National Farmers Union board on Tuesday, calling on Congress and the White House to strengthen the federal safety net. Separately, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said another multibillion-dollar round of Trump tariff payments may be needed.
Drought-tolerant corn, most of it conventionally bred, is a hit
More than one-fifth of U.S. corn area is planted with drought-tolerant varieties, a remarkable rate of adoption considering the trait has only been available for a few years. Drought is a menace to farmers everywhere. In 2012, the U.S. corn yield plunged by 16 percent, or 24 bushels an acre, due to drought.
Madison looks at former meat factory for wholesale food market
Madison, Wisconsin, was hit particularly hard by the 2015 merger of Kraft and Heinz and its accompanying layoffs. Now, the city is assessing whether the former meat processing site could be repurposed into a food terminal for regional producers. If the terminal is approved, the city will join others who are building infrastructure for medium-scale regional food distribution.