U.S. ag sales to China to fall by 45 percent in trade war China, formerly the No. 1 customer for U.S. ag exports, will buy a comparatively paltry $9 billion worth of those exports this fiscal year, a startling 45 percent cutback due to the trade war, said the USDA… Continue reading
On Capitol Hill, tentative agreement for a ‘status quo’ farm bill With congressional leaders calling the shots on forestry language, and with an incendiary Republican proposal for strict SNAP work requirements apparently off the table, negotiators reached a tentative agreement Wednesday on a farm bill that is evolutionary rather than… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
An Aggie tries to move up in House Democratic leadership Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos says she knows, from first-hand experience prevailing in a Trump district, how the party can protect its newly won majority in the 2020 elections. Bustos, the only midwesterner in party leadership, is one of four candidates… Continue reading
Hotter and drier, with a drop in production, is the future of U.S. agriculture Climate change will bring higher temperatures and more frequent drought to farmers across the United States, resulting in reduced crop and livestock yields, according to the National Climate Assessment that was released over the weekend. USDA’s… Continue reading
Fighting fires, or shifting public lands from federal control? Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, in a press briefing Tuesday on California’s raging forest fires, called for more management of federal forest lands to be shifted to local authorities, arguing that this would help prevent fires. As… Continue reading
(AP) – More than 1,100 of the early recipients of Trump tariff payments intended to offset the impact of the trade war on U.S. agriculture actually live in America’s largest cities, said the Environmental Working Group on Monday. The bailout recipients, the latest batch of “city slickers” identified by the… Continue reading
Trump tariff payments flow to cities as well as rural mailboxes More than 1,100 of the early recipients of Trump tariff payments intended to offset the impact of the trade war on U.S. agriculture actually live in America’s largest cities, said the Environmental Working Group on Monday. The bailout recipients… Continue reading
House ag reaches deal, sends farm bill to Senate, reports say House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway has backed off dramatic changes to SNAP in the stalled $87 billion farm bill, sealing a deal with ranking Democrat Collin Peterson and sending a version of the bill to the Senate, according… Continue reading
Trump and McConnell discuss farm bill as part of lame duck agenda While some analysts expressed skepticism about passage of the farm bill, President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell discussed the bill among must-do legislation on Thursday for action in the brief congressional post-election session. Trade war battering… Continue reading
USDA News & Features Organic Food Features