Equipment sales falter as farm income slows, tariffs a concern, say regional Feds
Farm equipment sales are slowing alongside the downturn in farm income, creating a headwind to overall U.S. investment activity, said the Beige Book, a summary of economic conditions in Federal Reserve Bank districts. In discussing agriculture, the St. Louis Fed said some businesses were building inventory in anticipation of potential tariffs on imported goods.
For rural America, election is ‘certainty vs. chaos’ or Trump as defender, say advocates
Vice President Kamala Harris bears the blame for high prices and declining farm income, said Indiana farmer Kip Tom on Monday, pushing for the reelection of Donald Trump as president. On the contrary, said Harris advocate Rod Snyder, calling the Nov. 5 election "a choice between certainty and chaos," like the Sino-U.S. trade war that cost farmers billions of dollars in lost export sales.
Democratic platform calls for net-zero agricultural emissions by 2050
The U.S. farm sector would be the first in the world to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with the assistance of projects such as the USDA's climate-smart agriculture initiatives, said the Democratic Party platform released on Monday. Delegates to the party's national convention in Chicago were scheduled to vote on the platform on Tuesday.
Republicans back massive deportations, call for tariffs to protect farmers
Republican delegates approved a Trump-backed party platform on Monday that endorses "baseline tariffs" on imports and more stringent trade relations with China in the name of protecting U.S. farmers, workers, and industries from unfair trade. The 16-page document also called for "the largest deportation operation in American history," aimed at undocumented immigrants.
House conservatives would rewrite farm supports in Trump’s name
Congress would cut off crop subsidies to wealthy farmers and require growers to pay at least half of the cost of crop insurance premiums if it adopted the policies proposed by Donald Trump when he was president, said the Republican Study Committee in its budget outline for this fiscal year. The group, which speaks for social and fiscal conservatives, said its budget "adopts many of the reforms proposed by the Trump administration to reform and streamline federal spending on agricultural programs."
‘A real risk’ for U.S. ag sector in talk of higher tariffs, confronting China — consultant
U.S. agriculture would be a target in a new trade war with China, said a private consultant speaking on a think tank panel on Monday, pointing to former president Donald Trump's support for higher tariffs and calls in the House for a reset of Sino-U.S. trade relations. But Trump's former ag negotiator said tariffs were "the only tool in the tool box" and Trump was right to use them in the past.
Biden administration defines upstream reach of clean water laws
Stepping ahead of a pending Supreme Court ruling, the Biden administration spelled out through a new regulation the upstream reach of water pollution laws, saying it would assure safe drinking water for Americans "while supporting agriculture, local economies and downstream communities." Farm and home-builder groups, who helped stall an Obama-era definition of the "waters of the United States" (WOTUS), said the Biden WOTUS rule also was a regulatory nightmare built on murky interpretations of the law.
Few vote early in Trump-tinged primary in Central Valley
Although the former president stayed out of the race, his name might as well have been the first words uttered by Chris Mathys, a conservative challenging Rep. David Valadao in the Republican primary in a U.S. House district in the Central Valley. "I will do everything in my power to defeat Congressman David Valadao, who voted to impeach President Trump," says Mathys on his campaign website, while Valadao offers "strong, practical leadership in Congress" on his.
Lawsuit would overturn Trump-era rules on genetically engineered crops
The USDA “unconstitutionally delegated its own duties to protect farmers and the environment to GE crop developers” when it exempted most genetically engineered plants from pre-market reviews in 2020, said a coalition of farm, environment and consumer groups in a lawsuit filed on Monday. In …
U.S. permit may jumpstart ocean aquaculture, despite concerns
Aquaculture companies seeking to cultivate finfish in the open ocean could soon have an easier path to approval under a nationwide permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers last week, despite concerns from environmental groups. The permit, which could create an industry for aquaculture in federal waters, was written in response to a May executive order by President Trump calling on agencies to deregulate and expand seafood production in the United States.
Trump wrong on wind, just like ethanol, say Iowa Democrats
Despite his visits to Iowa, President Trump “seems to be out of touch with what really matters out in the countryside,” said Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary in the Obama era, on Monday. Vilsack was part of a line-up of Iowa Democrats to criticize Trump for his opposition to wind …
Biggest farmers stand solidly with Trump, poll shows
Large-scale farmers and ranchers say they will vote in landslide numbers for President Trump this fall, applauding his handling of agriculture and foreign policy, said a Farm Futures poll released on Wednesday. Some 75 percent of respondents to the nationwide email poll conducted in late …
Trump visits derecho-hit Iowa, talks about China
President Trump spoke of large corn exports booked for delivery to China while assuring Iowans of “the full support of the federal government” in recovering from a derecho in a Tuesday visit. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said agriculture — flattened crops and wind-blasted farmsteads — accounts for …
House panel votes to block two Trump rules restricting SNAP access
The Trump administration would be barred from implementing two rules that would end SNAP benefits for an estimated 700,000 people during the coronavirus pandemic under a USDA-FDA funding bill approved by a Democratic-controlled House subcommittee on Monday. The provisions on SNAP rules may be …
China buys more; will it be enough for ‘phase one’?
The “phase one” trade agreement with China, one of President Trump’s top trade achievements, calls for Beijing to buy huge quantities of U.S. food, agricultural and seafood exports. Sales of soybeans, cotton, pork, corn, sorghum and wheat are stronger than a year ago but an Iowa think tank …
Maybe we should cut off cattle imports, says Trump
The United States “should look at the possibility of terminating” trade agreements that allow cattle imports into the country, said President Trump on Tuesday — a suggestion that would almost solely affect Canada and Mexico, partners in the USMCA. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association …
Trump administration seeks overhaul of fishing industry with new executive order
As the coronavirus pandemic ravages the meatpacking sector, the Trump administration late last week made a major announcement about another essential food industry: seafood. With a late-afternoon executive order, the administration laid out a pathway for the approval of ocean aquaculture in federal waters, a controversial departure from existing policy that could reshape the country’s seafood production.(No paywall)
Faith leaders call for stronger worker protections at meatpacking plants
The crisis faced by meatpacking and food processing workers amid the coronavirus pandemic requires further intervention, say faith leaders. More than 100 religious leaders have signed a letter to be sent to Congress and President Trump demanding additional assistance for rural communities and food system workers. (No paywall)