agricultural trade
As commodity prices sink, Perdue says Trump will aid farmers
The typical midwestern corn and soybean grower lost tens of thousands of dollars in potential revenue due to steep declines in commodity prices over the past four weeks, said Purdue economist Brent Gloy, listing global trade uncertainty as an obvious factor.
No pain, no gain in trade dispute with China, says Ross
Negotiations didn’t work, so the Trump administration is relying on the economic discomfort of tariffs to force China to change its trade practices, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday. Farm-state senators say there is a risk of the long-term loss of export markets as the dispute escalates.
Trump: ‘We’re getting there’ on NAFTA
Even as he continued to blast Canadian dairy tariffs, President Trump said on Tuesday that “we’re getting there” in negotiations for the new NAFTA.
NAFTA talks will continue through summer, says Canada
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is in Canada for a bilateral meeting today with Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on “issues of shared importance in agriculture.” At the same time, NAFTA negotiations seem to be gaining new footing.
Trump wants to ruin us, say Canadian dairy farmers
President Trump has repeatedly attacked the Canadian dairy industry with the aim of "wiping out dairy farmers here at home," said Dairy Farmers of Canada on Monday. Meanwhile, U.S. and Canadian farm groups urged government leaders "to engage in positive discourse that protects the strong trade ties that benefit American and Canadian farmers alike."
Senate farm bill designed to clear 60-vote hurdle
Roughly 16 months ago, at their first hearing for the 2018 farm bill, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts and Sen. Debbie Stabenow agreed to write a bipartisan bill that would be enacted on time, a seemingly simple goal that has eluded Congress repeatedly. With a committee vote set for Wednesday on their 1,006-page bill, the two committee leaders say they are on the verge of a major bipartisan victory.
Trump says more ag sales to Japan on the way
On the same day that President Trump said he expected increased agricultural exports to Japan, the chief U.S. agricultural negotiator told farmers in Iowa that more than 14 percent of U.S. farm exports have been or will be tagged with retaliatory tariffs in U.S. trade disputes with countries such as China and Mexico.
A Democrat appeals to conservative Republicans in farm country
In the heart of Iowa's rural 4th district, Democratic hopeful J.D. Scholten is making a bid for conservative Republican Steve King's congressional seat, appealing to farmer interests to win support for his campaign, according to FERN's latest story, by Brian Barth, produced in collaboration with Mother Jones. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
USDA forecasts second-best year ever for ag exports
Stronger prices and rising demand for U.S. farm exports will propel sales to $142.5 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, said the USDA on Thursday. It would be the second-highest export total ever.
Argentina imports U.S. soybeans, a first in more than two decades
In the agricultural equivalent of coals to Newcastle, the No. 3 soybean grower in the world, Argentina, is buying soybeans from one of its major competitors, the United States, because of drought damage to its own crop.
Trump wants to double U.S. farm exports to China within five years
While U.S. and Chinese officials publicly set a goal of “meaningful increases” in farm exports, President Trump wants to more than double U.S. sales to China in the near term, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday.
In novel filing, U.S. says India grossly over-subsidizes wheat and rice production
It is clear that India violates WTO limits on trade-distorting farm subsidies, said the Trump administration on Wednesday in announcing a “counter-notification” that could be the first step to a formal challenge of India’s wheat and rice subsidies.
Perdue names new head of Foreign Agricultural Service
On Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue appointed Ken Isley to be administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service, which promotes U.S. farm exports, monitors food and agricultural issues worldwide, and has a role in U.S. food aid.
Trump: ‘I don’t want to go back into TPP’
When Japan and the United States begin a new round of trade talks, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, they should be in the format of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the free trade agreement that was the bête noire of President Trump’s campaign.
Perdue forecasts peaceful, successful end to trade conflicts
President Trump is a maverick when it comes to international relations, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday while assuring farm-state senators that successful negotiations would resolve the threat of a trade war.
Trump orders plan to protect U.S. agriculture from China retaliation
At the same time he threatened an additional $100 billion in tariffs on China, President Trump said on Thursday that the government will use its broad powers to protect U.S. farmers and agricultural interests from “China’s unfair retaliation.”
Farm groups plead for peace in face of looming U.S.-China trade war
President Trump sent a message to U.S. farmers in a phone call with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue: “We’re not going to allow them to be casualties if this trade dispute escalates. We’re going to take care of our American farmers.”
China packs a punch with tariffs on imports of U.S. pork
Hog farmers are headed for a money-losing year and a major factor will be the drying up of $1 billion a year in exports to China, says Purdue economist Chris Hurt. But Chinese consumers will feel little pain from the 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork because the EU and Canada are alternative suppliers. China acted sooner than expected with its weekend announcement of $3 billion of counter-measures on U.S. goods in response to President Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
Reduced interest overseas in U.S. soybeans
The new soybean marketing year opens on Saturday, and early orders for the U.S. crop are the smallest in years, says a research brief from rural lender CoBank. Global demand is down in the face of the strong dollar, slow economic growth, and uncertainties about U.S. trade policy in an election year.