agricultural exports
Lawmakers propose a doubling of funds for export promotion
Six U.S. representatives proposed to double, over a five-year period, the funding for two USDA programs that share costs with the private sector in developing overseas markets for American foods. The statutory funding levels for the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development program (FMD) have not been increased in more than a decade, said lead sponsors Dan Newhouse and Chellie Pingree.
Administration is on farmers’ side on exports, says Perdue
From President Trump down, the administration recognizes the importance of farm exports, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, adding that he expects to make frequent trips overseas to promote sales. Farmers voted by wide margins for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton last November, although his plans to renegotiate NAFTA and overhaul trade pacts in general has stirred concern in rural areas.
Don’t worry about trade, plant as much as possible, says Commerce’s Ross
It sounded like the return of Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz, who urged farmers to plant fence row to fence row, when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was asked about the uncertainties created by President Trump's plan to renegotiate trade pacts, says DTN. Ross responded, "If I were a farmer, I would plant as much as I can logically plant in today's environment."
Perdue races into action after overwhelming Senate confirmation
Newly minted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue's first day on the job will be a busy one, following the 87-11 confirmation vote in the Senate that ended more than three months of waiting. Perdue scheduled a start-of-the-workday speech to USDA employees this morning and is to join President Trump for an agricultural roundtable discussion at the White House in the afternoon.
World’s largest ag exporter feels hemmed in by competition
For decades, the United States has been the world's largest agricultural exporter, but the title is becoming harder to maintain, says the Wall Street Journal. "America's share of global corn, soybean and wheat exports has shrunk by more than half since the mid-1970s," it says, pointing to USDA data, adding that soybeans "make up about 40 percent of world exports, down from more than 70 percent three decades ago."
A sea of issues await Perdue when he walks in the door at USDA
Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is hours away from becoming U.S. agriculture secretary, with the Senate expected to confirm the nomination by a solid majority this evening. Perdue will enter the job on a tide of goodwill and risks inundation by a flood of issues from budget cuts and agricultural trade to expanded subsidies for cotton and dairy producers.
U.S. cotton exports rebound, may be fourth-largest ever
After abnormally small exports last year, U.S. cotton shipments are booming this year and are headed for 14 million bales, the fourth-largest volume ever, says USDA's monthly WASDE report. The U.S. share of the world cotton market would stand at nearly 40 percent, according to USDA, compared to 26 percent in the previous marketing year.
White House: NAFTA will wait until Lighthizer is confirmed
President Trump made renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement a top issue during his election campaign, but he has moved slowly on it since taking office. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the administration is waiting for Senate confirmation of Robert Lighthizer as U.S. trade representative before it starts the clock running for discussions with Canada and Mexico.
Trump lists agriculture among U.S. trade issues in meeting with Xi
In the first face-to-face meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China, the two leaders agreed to a 100-day effort to improve trade relations between the world's two largest economies. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the president "raised serious concerns about the impact of China’s industrial, agricultural, technology, and cyber policies on U.S. jobs and exports."
Senate panel ‘will move as quickly as possible’ on Perdue nomination
American agriculture is "going through a rough patch right now," so the Senate Agriculture Committee "will move as quickly as possible in a bipartisan fashion ... to get the governor down to the department," chairman Pat Roberts said, referring to the nominee for agriculture secretary, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. The committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
Never mind the threats, U.S. corn has the lowest price in Mexico
According to one of the world's largest grain traders, the biggest advantage the United States holds in the Trump administration's war of words with Mexico is this: U.S. corn is the best deal. DTN says chief executive Soren Schroeder, of Bunge Ltd., told analysts during a teleconference, "The extent to which there is any switching that takes place to South America, frankly, it all depends on price. And at the moment, it doesn't work."
Trump: Tweaks for Canada, but ‘we’re going to work with Mexico’ on NAFTA
After his first meeting with Canada's prime minister, President Trump tagged Mexico as his prime target in renegotiating the two-decade-old North American Free Trade Agreement. "We'll be tweaking it," Trump responded when asked about the impact on Canada. "It's a much less severe situation than what's taking place on the southern border."
Trump nixes TPP in favor of bilateral pacts; farm groups fear loss of exports
The White House declared "a new era of U.S. trade policy in which the Trump administration will pursue bilateral trade opportunities with allies" following its withdrawal from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Farm groups, whose members voted by a landslide for President Donald Trump, called for protection against loss of farm exports due to the change in focus.
Falling value of Mexico’s peso may impede U.S. ag exports
Mexico is the third-largest market for U.S. farm exports, so the declining value of the peso "could create a drag on U.S. animal product exports in 2017," says USDA's monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook. The southern neighbor of the United States is the largest market for exports of U.S. pork, poultry, and dairy products, says USDA, as well as the No. 3 market for U.S. beef.
Negotiations with Canada and Mexico over NAFTA to begin soon, says Trump
President Donald Trump plans to meet the leaders of Canada and Mexico soon "to start renegotiating on NAFTA, on immigration and on security at the border," reported Reuters. After China, the U.S. neighbors are the top markets for U.S. farm exports, forecast to buy 29 percent of ag exports and be the source of 44 percent of U.S. agricultural imports, so farm groups want to avoid adverse effects of reworked rules.
Exports will be increasingly important as bolster of farm income
Low commodity prices are depressing farm income, farmland values and repayment rates on farm loans, says the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, while larger-than-expected farm exports "seemed only to keep prices for some commodities from dropping further."
US wins WTO case over Indonesian limits on food imports
A WTO dispute panel agreed with the United States and New Zealand on all 18 points of their challenge of Indonesian trade barriers to imports of fruit, vegetables and meat. The U.S. trade representative's (USTR) office said removal of the barriers could lead to a vast increase in sales of the goods affected by the licensing rules, which totaled $87 million in 2015.
Forceful Trump to press regulatory relief first, say farm policy hands
The Trump administration will focus on regulatory relief in its early days in office, said two farm-policy hands, who pointed to EPA's Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule as a prime example of federal over-reach. Chuck Conner, of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said President-elect Trump will be forceful in rolling back regulations, and Dale Moore, of the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the regulatory burden saps farmers' bottom lines.
Exports boom as bumper corn crop pulls down farm-gate prices
U.S. corn exports are climbing for the third year in a row and will be the fourth largest on record this trade year, thanks to the mammoth crop now being harvested and falling market prices, said the Agriculture Department on Thursday. The 15.2 billion-bushel crop would be just a hair smaller than the record set last year.