Trump trade war: ‘We’re going to hang with him,’ says Farm Bureau chief The Sino-U.S. trade war, which as stymied U.S. farm exports, “is going to be a long one, and we keep delivering the message, ‘We’re with you, Mr. President,’” said the leader of the largest U.S. farm group… Continue reading
EPA to drop proposal for younger pesticide applicators On the same day that President Trump nominated Andrew Wheeler to be EPA administrator, the agency said it would withdraw a Trump-era proposal to set a minimum age of 16 for farmworkers to handle, mix, or apply pesticides, down from the age… Continue reading
USDA says it will deliver on Trump request for 5-percent spending cut Under orders from President Trump to cut spending by 5 percent, the USDA may try to slash the taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance program, eliminate a green-payment program, or take an ax to its research agencies, if recent proposals are… 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
As lame duck session opens, farm bill isn’t ready for a vote A month ago, the lead negotiators on the farm bill linked arms in a show of unity and said they wanted to have the $87-billion-a-year legislation ready for a vote when Congress convened for its post-election session. The… Continue reading
Four times more tariff pain than financial gain in ‘new NAFTA’ Although President Trump declared the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement a big win for U.S. farmers, a study released on Wednesday says U.S. farm exports will fall by $1.8 billion due to retaliatory tariffs by Mexico and Canada. That would be… Continue reading
USDA says it will deliver on Trump request for 5-percent spending cut Under orders from President Trump to cut spending by 5 percent, the USDA may try to slash the taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance program, eliminate a green-payment program, or take an ax to its research agencies, if recent proposals are… Continue reading
Ethanol Availability Delivers Victory to Corn Farmers President Donald Trump moved on Tuesday to make it easier to sell more ethanol in vehicle fuel, delivering a victory to corn farmers and biofuel producers that could translate to long-term market gains. Trump said he had signed a memo telling the Environmental… Continue reading
Trade talks with Japan are a chance to catch up, say farm groups Three groups that promote U.S. farm exports say the upcoming U.S.-Japan trade talks are a chance to gain ground against Australia, Canada, and the EU, which will benefit from free trade agreements with Japan. USDA nominee earned… Continue reading
Three House Republican Ag members in toss-up races By a tiny margin, Rep. Jeff Denham, a fourth-term Republican from the Central Valley of California, may be the most endangered member of the House Agriculture Committee, although two other Republican panelists are also in toss-up races. Ruth Reichl sees ‘pivotal moment’… Continue reading
USDA News & Features Organic Food Features