Four months, $25 billion to go: Through August, China imported $11 billion, or 30 percent, of the $36.6 billion of U.S. food, agricultural and seafood products that it agreed to buy this year under “phase one” of the Sino-U.S. trade agreement, based on Chinese import data. (Peterson Institute for International Economics)
Political uncertainty in farm income: Due to trade war and the pandemic, farm income in the northern Plains has shifted from the traditional uncertainty over crop yields and commodity prices to “a new level of political uncertainty” over stopgap federal payments. (Capital Journal)
Special election snags House ag panelist: A candidate for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District seat died, resulting in the postponement of the Nov. 3 election for the seat until Feb. 9. The seat is currently held by first-term Democrat Angie Craig, a member of the House Agriculture Committee. (Minnesota Secretary of State).
EU approves Bayer GE soy: The European Union approved for import XtendFlex soybeans, which are genetically engineered to tolerate three weedkillers — glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate — opening the door for the sale of the seeds in the United States and Canada in 2021, said its maker, Bayer. (Farm Journal)
More meals with meat: One result of the coronavirus is that Americans are cooking more meals at home that feature meat — 4.6 per week compared to 3.9 in 2019 — and they have been forced to improvise because of shortages in the early months of the pandemic, says the Power of Meat report. (Food Industry Association)
Five appointed to organic advisory board: The USDA appointed five new members, including economist Carolyn Dimitri of New York University, to five-year terms on the National Organic Standards Board, which advises the government on substances used in organic production and on aspects of the National Organic Program. (Agricultural Marketing Service)