Mexico
Trump’s farmer bailout: half now, the rest later … maybe
President Trump's promise to protect U.S. agriculture from retaliatory tariffs by China and other countries will be paid on the installment plan — half this fall and the rest in December, or early 2018 if assistance is still needed, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Monday. The USDA announced $6.2 billion in outlays that will begin in September, with soybean growers in line for $3.6 billion of it.
Bilateral is good, trilateral is better in NAFTA talks, say farm groups
President Trump dangled the possibility of terminating NAFTA, which generates one-third of U.S. food and ag trade, at the same time he announced a tentative trade agreement with Mexico on Monday. Farm groups said NAFTA should stay in effect until a new agreement linking North America's three economic giants is in place.
Two sides of Washington: Trump bailout and China tariffs
The Trump administration will hear hours of testimony about its proposed 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese products on Monday, overlapping with the expected USDA announcement of up to $12 billion in aid for U.S. agriculture to offset the impact of Chinese tariffs on farm exports. Soybean growers are likely to get the largest share of the spending since the oilseed is the largest ag export to China.
Trump tariff bailout may be sunlight ahead of storm clouds over farm sector
Crop and livestock producers are likely to learn on Monday how the Trump administration will allocate up to $12 billion in aid to offset the impact of retaliatory Chinese tariffs on the U.S. farm sector, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Canada expects to be back soon at NAFTA negotiations
The three-corner negotiations for the new NAFTA have looked bilateral for a few weeks, because the United States has been meeting with Mexico. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that Canada expects to return to the talks very soon. Agriculture has been a stubborn and often over-looked issue for the nations. The Trump administration reportedly dropped a proposal for seasonal restrictions on imports of Mexican produce.
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.
The last days of the vaquita
Despite a last-ditch effort by a group of radical conservationists, the vaquita — a small porpoise found only in Mexico’s Gulf of California — is going extinct, and will likely disappear this year, reports Ben Goldfarb in FERN’s latest story, published with Pacific Standard. <strong>No paywall</strong>
‘We’re taking on water fast,’ say U.S. hog farmers as Mexico applies tariffs
Mexico, the top importer of U.S. pork, announced retaliatory 10-percent tariffs on Tuesday, rising to 20 percent in a month's time, that would effectively shut the door to the American meat. One of every five pounds of pork produced in the U.S. is sold to a foreign buyer.
‘By the time I finish,’ barriers to U.S. ag exports will be down, Trump says
President Trump told American farmers on Monday, "By the time I finish trade talks," China, Canada and Mexico, the three largest customers for U.S. farm exports, will remove trade barriers to American products. The president issued the assurances on social media after inconclusive talks with China over the weekend and three days after he said he was open to separate trade deals with Mexico and Canada instead of an updated NAFTA.
Put out the fire, farm groups say as trade turmoil flares
One-third of U.S. agricultural trade flows through Canada and Mexico, and both nations quickly vowed tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. food and ag products after President Trump announced duties on steel and aluminum from the North American neighbors on Thursday.
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.
One-third of farmers believe U.S. will withdraw from NAFTA
There is tremendous uncertainty in farm country about the future of NAFTA, with one-third of producers responding to a Purdue survey saying they believe it is likely the United States will withdraw from the free trade agreement.
Monarch butterfly population drops by 14 percent
For the second year in a row, the number of monarch butteflies spending the winter in Mexican forests has declined, said Alejandro Del Mazo, Mexico's commissioner for protected areas.
Mexican corn farmers call for NAFTA limits on imports of U.S. corn
With the seventh round of NAFTA negotiations underway, the Mexican National Federation of Corn Farmers said the redrawn pact should limit corn imports into the country, reported Xinhua, the Chinese news agency.
Mexico launches ‘NAFTA Works’ internet campaign
Days before negotiations for the new NAFTA are due to resume, Mexico launched an interactive website, NAFTA Works, "to further circulate the perceivable benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement." Mexico is the third-largest market for U.S. food and ag exports and is the largest source of agricultural imports.
Arizona senator wins NAFTA commitments, releases hold on USTR nominee
Sen. Jeff Flake, from trade-sensitive Arizona, said he had secured commitments from the Trump administration to avoid “ill-advised seasonal or regional” triggers on food imports as part of the new NAFTA. In return, he has released his “hold” on the White House nominee for chief U.S. agricultural trade negotiator.
U.S. wants ‘much faster’ NAFTA pace, ag issues unresolved
Negotiations for the new NAFTA will resume in late February in Mexico City, with agricultural trade among the undecided issues. Canadian trade groups said there was progress on agricultural biotechnology and on food safety rules during a week of work in Montreal. U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer said he hoped for "major breakthroughs" in the interim. "We owe it to our citizens, who are operating in a state of uncertainty, to move much faster."
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.