Trump
Trump threatens long-running trade war with China
Some ‘plussing up’ needed before White House seeks USMCA vote
First the Trump tariff payments and then the trade deals, says president
Brazil agrees to let some wheat enter duty-free, an opening for U.S. grain
Trump: Trade talks may end with ‘a lot more’ corn to China
U.S. and Chinese officials opened their second consecutive week of negotiations to resolve the countries' trade war on Tuesday with President Trump saying the "very complex talks...are going very well." Trump told reporters at the White House, "We're asking for everything that anybody has ever even suggested. These are not just, you know, 'let's sell corn or let's do this.' It's going to be selling corn, but a lot of it, a lot more than anyone thought possible."
Trump tariff payments top $6.4 billion as deadline nears
The USDA has received nearly 805,000 applications and paid out $6.41 billion so far in the Trump tariff payments created to buffer the impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war, said the USDA on Monday. The Trump payments are the largest element of a mitigation package that was announced as a maximum of $12 billion but could turn out smaller in the end.
Trump announces plan to roll back WOTUS rule
President Trump announced a plan to roll back Obama-era clean water regulations that aimed to protect rivers and streams from agricultural runoff and other pollutants. It will remove vast wetlands and thousands of miles of waterways from federal protection.
Republican Hyde-Smith wins in final Senate race of the year
Final farm bill hurdle: White House forestry demands
Congressional leaders are taking a direct hand in the final farm bill fight—the Trump administration's demands for a freer hand in fire prevention in national forests—with a decision possible as early as today that would allow a lame-duck vote on the $87 billion-a-year legislation. Negotiators have resolved the headline issue, a proposal by House Republicans for stricter SNAP work requirements, but are keeping it under wraps until the compromise bill is complete.
Trump campaigning for farm-state Republicans in tight races
EPA should move faster on E15, says Grassley
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to begin work in February to allow year-round sale of E15 and complete the regulation in May, just ahead of the usual June 1 cutoff of summer sales. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, from the top corn and ethanol state, said on Tuesday that the agency "ought to speed it up" to be sure the fuel will be available for the summer driving season.
Trump gives the order for year-round sale of E15
On his way to a campaign rally in Iowa, President Trump started the regulatory process on Tuesday for year-round sales of a 15 percent blend of corn ethanol in gasoline, sought in the Farm Belt as a tonic for trade war jitters. E15 sales are banned during the summer now, and the EPA will have to move expeditiously, given the federal rule-writing process, to implement Trump's order by next June 1, the usual cut-off date.
Most farmers say trade war will reduce their income
These are grim times in farm country, according to a Purdue University poll: One-half of farmers say their farm's financial condition is worse than a year ago and, for the third month, more than 70 percent said the trade war will reduce their net income this year. An equally large share of farmers expect hard times for the ag economy in the year ahead, according to the Ag Economy Barometer released on Tuesday.
Recipients of Trump tariff payments may include two senators
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Montana Sen. Jon Tester are among farmers who applied for Trump tariff payments, reported the Washington Post. The senators were the only lawmakers to tell the newspaper that they would seek payments; 12 said they would not apply and 13 declined to comment or had not responded to the query.
Farmers fear trade war impact despite Trump tariff payments
Half of the producers in a Purdue poll say announcement of Trump tariff payments did nothing to allay their concerns about lost income during trade war with China and other major customers for U.S. ag exports. Some 71 percent of crop and livestock producers expect a decline in farm income from trade conflicts but not as deep as initially feared, according to the Ag Economy Barometer released on Tuesday.
Trump’s mid-term campaign map mostly omits Midwest
North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a farm bill negotiator, is a White House target for defeat in the mid-term elections but President Trump will generally steer clear of the Midwest and races involving other members of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Officials familiar with the president's plans said on Tuesday that North Dakota, where Heitkamp is in a tough race for re-election, is a likely Trump campaign stop on Tuesday but did not mention Indiana, where Joe Donnelly, another Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, is also in a toss-up race.
Maryland’s crab industry struggles in absence of temporary work visas
As a result of a Trump administration immigration policy, crab houses on the Eastern Shore of Maryland have been short on labor this summer. Midway through the crabbing season, some in the industry are losing customers and profits in what might be the new reality for an industry dependent on immigrant labor.
Farmer support for Trump continues to decline, new poll says
More than a third of farmers view President Trump less favorably than they did before the current trade war, according to a new poll by Farm Journal. The survey of 2,300 farmers also found that only a slim majority of those who supported Trump in the presidential election would vote for him again.