Out with NAFTA and in with USMCA, the initials for the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement. “This new deal is an especially great victory for our farmers,” said President Donald Trump as he announced the agreement this morning. “The deal includes a substantial increase in our farmers’ opportunities to export American wheat, poultry, eggs and dairy – including milk, butter, cheese, yogurt …
Zimfo Bytes 9/14
American Agri-Women have named Allie Poole, Central City, Kentucky, the 2018 winner of their Daughters of American Agriculture Scholarship, High School Graduate. She is currently enrolled in the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, Alabama. National Farmers Union’s Beginning Farmer Institute convened this week in Washington, D.C., for the first of three learning sessions that will take place during …
Farmers for Free Trade Expands Coalition
Over 80 of the nation’s leading trade associations representing thousands of businesses and workers today announced the formation of Americans for Free Trade a multi-industry coalition aimed at opposing tariffs and highlighting the benefits of international trade to the U.S. economy. This new coalition will immediately join Farmers for Free Trade, the coalition backed by the nation’s largest ag commodity …
ASTA Requests Seed Exemption on Chinese Tariffs List
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is requesting that seeds for sowing be exempted from the proposed list of supplemental retaliatory tariffs on China. “While we support the administration’s push for stronger intellectual property protection and enforcement globally, at the end of the day, the majority of these proposed tariffs will be levied on seeds owned by small and medium …
Corn Growers Join Farmers For Free Trade at #FPS18
Last week was a big one for trade news impacting agriculture, so Farmers for Free Trade (FFT) Executive Director Brian Kuehl and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president Kevin Skunes had a lot to talk about during a press conference at Farm Progress Show. Regarding news that U.S. and Mexico had reached a preliminary NAFTA deal, Kuehl expressed some concerns. …
New NCGA Officer Talks Top Issues at #FPS18
The National Corn Growers Association leadership team was out in full force last week at the Farm Progress Show, including the new kid on the board, Kevin Ross of Iowa. Ross was elected this summer to become the organization’s first vice president for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, and he is jumping right into the issues head …
Secretary Perdue Comments on Current Issues
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited the Farm Progress Show this week, making an appearance for everyone at the show to enjoy with Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson in the VIP tent, followed by a press gaggle where trade was the number one topic, along with WOTUS and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Asked about Canada and its dairy policy – …
Export Panel at #ACEconf18 Explores Tariff Wars
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) interim CEO Jon Doggett and CHS Director of Global Trading Max Thomasson explored the impact of current trade negotiations and tariff wars on the global market for corn and ethanol during a panel at last week’s American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference in Minneapolis. Doggett drove home the point that if it was President Clinton …
USDA Announces Trade Disruption Relief for Farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take several actions to assist farmers negatively impacted by recent trade actions. President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. Specifically, …
China’s Impact on U.S. Beef Demand
China reopened its borders to United States beef in 2017, but that historic decision sparked both challenges and opportunities for American beef producers, according to Ian Lahiffe, Lead of Operations, Allflex Livestock Intelligence. Lahiffe said beef consumption has almost doubled in China over the past 10-15 years, but Chinese consumers are accustomed to grass-fed beef primarily from Brazil or Australia …