China
Farm income, stressed this year, may drop sharply in 2021
U.S. farm income, under pressure this year from the trade war and coronavirus pandemic, could fall off a cliff next year when record-setting federal payments are due to end, according to early assessments. A plunge in income could be avoided by cost-cutting on the farm, a recovery in commodity demand, or a new multibillion-dollar round of federal aid, but they are not assured, say analysts.
China buys 1.11 million tonnes of U.S. soy in four days
Large sales of soybeans to Chinese buyers provide hope for "a robust demand recovery" this fall and into the new year, said economist Todd Hubbs of the University of Illinois on Monday, the same day that exporters reported the sale of 390,000 tonnes of soybeans for delivery to China. In the space of four days, China purchased 1.11 million tonnes of the oilseed, worth $354 million.
Lighthizer counts on wave of purchases to lift China to ag goal
China is closer than commonly realized to fulfilling its commitment to buy vast amounts of U.S. food and ag products this year, said U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer on Thursday, rebutting criticism that the "phase one" trade agreement is faltering. "If you had to bet right now, you'd say they're going to do it."
Press China to buy more, farm groups say to Trump
The "phase one" trade agreement with China could be the foundation of rural and food-sector prosperity, said 192 farm and agribusiness groups in a letter to President Trump on Tuesday that called for timely implementation of the pact, signed five months ago at the White House.
China pauses on buying U.S. ag exports pause, then sputters ahead
On the same day that Beijing reportedly told state-run trading houses to pause purchases of U.S. farm exports, the companies bought a small amount of U.S. soybeans on Monday, according to unnamed sources. The pause was described as saber rattling and also a sign that the "phase one" trade agreement was in jeopardy as Sino-U.S. relations sour.
China buys more; will it be enough for ‘phase one’?
China trade advisers talk of renegotiating U.S. trade pact – report
Some Chinese trade advisers are arguing that Beijing should invalidate the "phase one" trade agreement that de-escalated the Sino-U.S. trade war as retaliation for a U.S. coronavirus blame campaign, reported a state-controlled Chinese newspaper on Monday. The agreement obliges China, formerly the top customer for U.S. ag exports, to buy roughly $40 billion a year of American food, agricultural and seafood products.
Soybean stocks to surge if Sino-U.S. trade war flares
China may miss ‘phase one’ target for U.S. farm purchases
With Covid-19, wild-animal markets face new pressures to shutter
The trade in wild animals is coming under increasing pressure to shut down, ever since the source of the Covid-19 pandemic was linked to a "wet market" in Wuhan, where throngs of customers shop for live animals held in cramped quarters, according to FERN's latest story, by Brian Barth. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>
Labor shortages, SNAP cuts, trade deals: How could coronavirus affect our food supply chain?
Although U.S. shoppers concerned about the coronavirus pandemic have largely emptied stores of paper products and household cleaning supplies, so far most other grocery aisles remain stocked. Still, as the virus spreads across the U.S., it could expose other weaknesses in our food supply chain, experts say. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
A shipping ‘standstill’ and herd culling if African swine fever is found
The USDA will move quickly to eradicate the African swine fever if the viral disease is discovered in the United States, said Agriculture Undersecretary Greg Ibach at the National Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City. The USDA would order a 72-hour nationwide "standstill" of hog shipments, as a step to prevent spread of the virus, and it would kill all infected and exposed hogs, potentially thousands of animals or more.
Chance of trade war payments ‘less than 10 percent’
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the odds of a multibillion-dollar round of trade war payments to farmers this year are “less than 10 percent,” although a senior lawmaker said the payments may be "absolutely vital" for survival in the Farm Belt. China will turn to the U.S. market for soybeans “late this spring, this summer,” Perdue predicted during a House Agriculture hearing on Wednesday.
With agreements in hand, fewer farmers expect trade war payments
Farmers are optimistic about the resumption of trade with China and, as a result, fewer of them believe the Trump administration will send trade war payments to producers this year, said a Purdue University poll on Tuesday. Fewer than half of the producers contacted by the Ag Economy Barometer said they anticipated payments this year, compared to nearly six out of 10 last fall.
Red farm states end up in the black with tariff payments
A handful of farm states, mostly in the Midwest and Plains, emerge as net winners when the impact of retaliatory Chinese tariffs are weighed against the Trump administration's trade-war payments to farmers, say three university economists.
FDA: Coronavirus disrupts supply chain for U.S. animal drugs
Six firms are seeing disruptions in the supply chain because of Covid-19 that could lead to shortages of animal drugs for the U.S. market, said the FDA in an update. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said USDA animal scientists are "looking for any kind of possibility, even vaccines, that may help" against the viral disease.
Pork to replace soybeans on China’s shopping list
China can satisfy two objectives — filling a huge gap in its meat supply and complying with the "phase one" trade agreement with the United States — by buying American-grown pork, say two Iowa State University economists.
If exports rise, farmers won’t need trade aid, says Perdue
U.S. ag exports have gained limited traction from President Trump's ballyhooed trade victories, but Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is optimistic that demand will improve. "I hope we can show that a third round [of trade war payments] is not needed for 2020," Perdue said in a statement. "We still believe farmers want trade rather than aid."
Mexico to displace China as top corn importer
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.