China

U.S. corn farmers are seeking federal court approval of a $1.5-billion settlement with Syngenta for its decision to sell them a GMO corn variety before China had approved it for import, reported Reuters.

Groups representing U.S. wheat and soybean growers said the steel and aluminum tariffs announced by President Trump might lead to retaliatory steps by China, the No. 1 buyer of American farm exports.

This year's U.S. cotton crop could be the second-largest since 2006, according to the National Cotton Council's respected survey of growers. Cotton Council economist Jody Campiche says growers intend to expand cotton plantings by nearly 4 percent, lured by strong cotton prices compared to likely returns from competing crops such as corn and soybeans.

Days after China began an anti-dumping investigation of imported U.S. sorghum, its Ministry of Commerce met with domestic companies to discuss possible anti-dumping and anti-subsidy reviews of U.S. soybeans, reported Bloomberg.

With an eye toward higher rural income and farm productivity, China issued a policy statement calling for a modernized farm sector by 2035. China also announced an investigation into whether U.S. sorghum is being sold at unfairly low prices on the Chinese market.

As trade relationships with China, Mexico, and Canada remain precarious, U.S. hog farmers are increasingly worried about the health of their export markets. Pork exports reached a peak of nearly $6 billion in 2017.

The United States is the world’s largest soybean producer and Brazil is the largest exporter, a long-term trend that is putting U.S. farmers at a disadvantage in sales to China, which buys 60 percent of the soybeans on the world market.

The No. 1 soybean importer in the world, China, is toughening its standards for imported U.S. soybeans, a step that may cut into the U.S. share of the market, said Reuters.

China is the world’s No. 1 sorghum importer, and its appetite for livestock feed is driving up U.S. sorghum prices, according to the USDA’s monthly Grain: World Markets and Trade report.

Global climate emissions are on the rise again, after staying relatively flat between 2014-2016. Researchers with the Global Carbon Project predict that emissions levels will increase anywhere from 0.8 to 3 percent in 2017, says NPR.

A bill that would prohibit the shark fin trade nationwide is poised to pass in Congress with deep bipartisan support. Shark fin soup, considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, can bring in $100 or more for a bowl.

Much of the arable land in China, the world's largest rice producer, is off-limits for growing rice because there is too much salt in the soil or in the available irrigation water. Researchers are making progress, however, on developing 200 varieties that tolerate salty water although at far lower levels than found in sea water.

China's plan to move to a 10 percent blend of ethanol into its gasoline supply will be a boon for U.S. ethanol exports, said ADM chief executive Juan Luciano. Agrimoney says that Luciano told investors that China could need imports of 8 million tons a year by 2020 to satisfy the E10 target because of the nation's longer-term fuel strategy.

The International Grains Council sharply boosted its estimate of corn consumption in China, pointing to government measures expected to drive up industrial use of the grain 14 percent during 2017/18. The shift in Chinese consumption will affect grain stockpiles worldwide, said the IGC in its monthly Grain Market Report, with the first reduction in five years in the grain "carryover" at the end of the marketing year.

Five dozen scientific, farm and activists groups proposed annual increases in federal funding for agricultural research to reach $6 billion over the life of the 2018 farm bill, double the amount now allotted. The groups, "involved in almost every facet of the U.S. agricultural sector," said the two-to-one return on ag research justifies the investment when competitors such as China are taking command of the field.

Climate change is likely to be slightly less damaging thanks to policies in India and China that could offset the U.S.'s reduced environmental efforts under President Trump. “The Carbon Action Tracker (CAT) report, by three independent European research groups, said current policies meant the world was headed for a warming of 3.4 degrees Celsius (6.1 Fahrenheit) by 2100, down from 3.6 degrees (6.5) it predicted a year ago,” explained Reuters.

A high-resolution search by satellite found 15 to 20 percent more cropland in the world than previously thought and identified India as the world leader, says the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS says its new map, showing 1.87 billion hectares of cropland, will help "to ensure global food and water security in a sustainable way."

China will remain the leading importer of soybeans and cotton, but Mexico will be the world's largest corn importer for the rest of this decade, said the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. The United States would be the top corn exporter despite increased competition from Brazil, said the University of Missouri think tank in updating its international marketing baseline.