China and U.S. are a long way from ending trade war The tenor of Sino-U.S. negotiations is heartening but “we’re still a long way” from resolving the trade war between the world’s two largest economies, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at a cattle industry conference. As promised, administration proposes stricter… Continue reading
When Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off Feb. 3 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia., football fans may be surprised to know how agriculture plays into the gridiron game plan. • From leather footballs to fan-favorite snacks, the big Bowl would not be as Super without the products of farmers… Continue reading
At the White House, Chinese official says his country will buy more U.S. soybeans In a letter read aloud at the White House, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing will buy more U.S. farm exports, a decision that President Trump hailed on Thursday as a sign of good faith in… Continue reading
According to a 2017 report from the Center for Biological Diversity, nearly 1 in 4 pollinators are imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction. What’s killing the bees? Neonicotinoid pesticides, sold by Bayer, and used by Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) to pretreat seeds (which adds to the cost of… Continue reading
Will Trump ask for big SNAP cuts for the third time? In budget proposals in 2017 and 2018, President Trump tried to slash funding for SNAP by about $200 billion over 10 years — roughly one-fourth of its total funding. Now, with Trump close to unveiling his fiscal 2020 budget… Continue reading
Stronger farm safety net needed, says second-largest U.S. farm group Many farmers “are struggling to stay afloat” because of the trade war and persistently low commodity prices, said the National Farmers Union board on Tuesday, calling on Congress and the White House to strengthen the federal safety net. Drought-tolerant corn,… Continue reading
‘Big crops, low prices,’ for a long time ahead, says CBO Farm-gate prices for corn and soybeans, the two most widely grown crops in the United States, are stuck in a rut for years to come, said the CBO on Monday in its long-term budget outlook. Madison, WI, looks at… Continue reading
After the shutdown, a deluge of major USDA reports on crops, ag outlook With the shutdown behind it, the USDA will begin today to clear out a month’s worth of backlogged data, including major reports that could jolt commodity markets and color farmers’ decisions on crops to plant this spring…. Continue reading
Trump tariff payment total? ‘Maybe $8 billion.’ U.S. farmers may receive noticeably less in Trump tariff payments than originally expected, a senior USDA official said on Thursday. And with no end in sight for the five-week partial government shutdown, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters that food stamps could be… Continue reading
As it opens more operations, USDA relies on staff to work without pay Federal meat inspectors are reporting to work without pay during the partial government shutdown, said an industry trade group on Wednesday, as the USDA called on 9,700 furloughed FSA employees to reopen offices nationwide today to serve… Continue reading
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