Farmers anxious for trade deals (Bloomington Pantagraph): Farmers in central Illinois say trade war with China and trade negotiations with other nations mean they face more uncertainty than usual in planning their crop year.
Japan culls hogs in disease epidemic (Kyodo News): Up to 15,000 hogs may be killed to quell an epidemic of classical swine fever, a highly contagious disease found in five prefectures.
Trade war magnifies farm financial woes (Politico): The economic fallout of President Trump’s policy of trade confrontation exacerbates difficult financial times for farmers and threatens a constituency that was key in 2016 and may be again in the 2020 presidential election.
Economic development plan: Big Hemp (Nevada Independent): In lightly populated White Pine County, about 300 miles north of Las Vegas, a proposal to open a 2,800-acre hemp-growing operation dominates talk about economic development, thanks to the 2018 farm law.
Farmers, enviros dislike wetlands proposal (DTN/Progressive Farmer): Farm groups say the USDA has not followed the rules in its handling of a regulation on wetlands conservation, while National Wildlife Federation members say the proposed interim final rule should be withdrawn because it will allow conversion of prairie potholes to cropland.
Peterson, Conaway agree on subcommittees (House Agriculture Committee): A day ahead of the committee’s first meeting of the year, chairman Collin Peterson and senior Republican Michael Conaway announced the roster of members of the six subcommittees.