Agriculture News
USDA Expects Exports to Fall $1.9 Billion in 2019, Pending Trade Agreements
Hoosier Ag Today | Posted on February 25, 2019The Department of Agriculture is projecting a $1.9 billion drop in exports this year, led by a decline in trade with China. While talks remain ongoing between China and the United States, USDA during its 95th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum Thursday predicted 2019 fiscal year exports at $141.5 billion. USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson told attendees China is expected to fall from the top market for U.S. exports in 2017, to the fifth largest market in 2019, pending the outcome of trade talks.
Foreclosure strands thousands of cattle in S.D.
Meating Place (free registration required) | Posted on February 25, 2019A foreclosure case brought against a cattle operation in Corsica, S.D., has left potentially thousands of head of cattle in limbo between the feedlot and the slaughterhouse. The case was brought earlier this month by the First Dakota National Bank against Robert and Becky Blom. The bank alleges that the Bloms overdrew their account by more than $1 million, leaving the bank to consider itself “insecure,” the report said.At a hearing last week, nine law firms filed notices of appearance in the case representing 17 additional parties.According to the complaint, the Bloms owe a principal amount of $6,748,600.92 in notes and an additional $792.75 per day in accrued interest on those notes. It isn’t known how much the Bloms could owe altogether to all parties.
Metal Tariffs Still Dog USMCA
DTN | Posted on February 25, 2019Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talked about trade and the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum on Thursday. But a lingering problem remains over how and when the Trump administration would remove steel and aluminum tariffs against the country's closest trade partners. To protect domestic steel and aluminum manufacturers, President Donald Trump last March placed national security "Section 232" tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum. Canada and Mexico immediately responded with retaliatory tariffs, including tariffs on some agricultural products. Despite getting a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA, the tariffs remain in place.Those steel and aluminum tariffs remain a thorn in getting the new USMCA trade deal ratified by Mexico and Canada. Perdue said he realizes U.S. farmers are getting hit with higher machinery costs because of steel and aluminum costs while commodity prices have declined or flattened. Perdue said, ideally, the tariffs will be lifted "sooner rather than later," but he had no specific knowledge on what's next.
Metal Tariffs Still Dog USMCA
DTN | Posted on February 25, 2019Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talked about trade and the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum on Thursday. But a lingering problem remains over how and when the Trump administration would remove steel and aluminum tariffs against the country's closest trade partners. To protect domestic steel and aluminum manufacturers, President Donald Trump last March placed national security "Section 232" tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum. Canada and Mexico immediately responded with retaliatory tariffs, including tariffs on some agricultural products. Despite getting a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA, the tariffs remain in place.Those steel and aluminum tariffs remain a thorn in getting the new USMCA trade deal ratified by Mexico and Canada. Perdue said he realizes U.S. farmers are getting hit with higher machinery costs because of steel and aluminum costs while commodity prices have declined or flattened. Perdue said, ideally, the tariffs will be lifted "sooner rather than later," but he had no specific knowledge on what's next.
Arkansas panel approves rules for use of herbicide dicamba
Arkansas Democrat Gazette | Posted on February 25, 2019An Arkansas panel has adopted a plan to allow restricted use of an herbicide banned in the wake of complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused damage. The Arkansas Plant Board voted after a 9½-hour public hearing to allow the use of dicamba through May 25. The new restrictions also would impose a half-mile buffer zone around research stations, organic crops, specialty crops, non-tolerant dicamba crops and other sensitive crops. The rules now go to lawmakers for approval.The state had previously banned dicamba's use from April 16 through Oct. 31.
Legislation adds up costs of Idaho's new hemp program
Capital Press | Posted on February 21, 2019An Idaho House bill that would legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity in accordance with a new federal law now includes estimates of how much it will cost. A fiscal note included with House Bill 122, discussed in a hearing Feb. 18, says one-time, startup costs include $100,000 for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and for contracted experts to coordinate a plan in time for the 2020 spring growing season.The plan would be developed with input from growers, processors, the Idaho State Police and others.Another one-time cost is an estimated $50,000 for information technology specific to USDA requirements for hemp cultivation and other startup expenses. Initially, plant and oil samples will likely be sent to an approved testing lab, since the extent to which Idaho growers and entrepreneurs will invest in growing and processing hemp is unknown.HB 122’s fiscal note estimates ongoing costs at $150,000 including operating expenses, salaries and benefits.
How much longer can the average dairy farmer endure their financial crisis?
Edairy News | Posted on February 21, 2019Pennsylvania dairy farmers are being short-changed at least $550 million dollars each year, and New York dairy farmers are facing a $650 million dollar shortfall, which should make everyone anxious to do something to correct these criminal prices that dairy farmers are facing everyday. Our figures indicate that the total underpayments to all the US dairy farmers each year are approximately $12 billion. But wait, it gets much worse. Using a multiplier of five, the total loss to our rural economy across the US is approximately $60 billion per year.
Trade war risks irreparably damaging U.S. dairy
Progressive Dairyman | Posted on February 21, 2019Mexico imports nearly a quarter of the U.S. dairy industry’s exports annually. It’s a critical $1.4 billion marketplace. And it’s one that President Trump continues to risk damaging permanently – and unnecessarily. Locked in a trade war since May, Mexican leaders are setting aside American business connections that took decades to build as our neighbors to the south find new sources of cheese, butter and other products.This should have changed in November when Trump declared success with his newly rechristened U.S.-Canada-Mexico Trade Agreement replacing NAFTA. In retrospect, it was a disingenuous statement: The administration has not lifted steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexican and Canadian products, and – in response – those countries are refusing to sign the pact or lift retaliatory tariffs, impacting dairy products and other items. “If you’re using the tariffs as leverage, if you get an agreement with countries that have come to the table because of that, if you don’t relieve them of tariffs, you’re going to marginalize that as an effective leverage point for other negotiations,” U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, told reporters at a recent press conference.“The longer this trade war goes on … the greater and more permanent the damage will be,” added Johnson, whose home state saw the dairy-fueled economy lose $139 million through October of last year.
Land O'Lakes Launches Software Platform To Help Farmers Boost Sustainability
Forbes | Posted on February 21, 2019More Americans than ever say they want sustainable food. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the International Food Information Council, 59% of American consumers said they care about whether their food is grown sustainably. But much like “GMO” or “natural,” sustainability can be a murky term with no clear definition. Now, two stalwarts of the ‘Big Food’ landscape are working to clear up that murkiness with a “Turbo-Tax style” software platform aimed at getting farmers to grow their crops more sustainably.
Oklahoma agriculture board approves poultry farm proposals
The News Tribune | Posted on February 21, 2019The Oklahoma Board of Agriculture on Tuesday approved proposals for new or expanding poultry operations requiring them to be a certain distance away from homes and schools, but some eastern Oklahoma residents say the plan doesn't go far enough. The board voted 3-2 for the rules that include "setback" requirements that operations with fewer than 150,000 birds be at least 500 feet from homes and larger operations be at least 1,000 feet away. All operations must be at least 1,500 feet from schools.All operations must be 200 feet from streams, 100 feet from private wells and 500 feet from public wells.The proposal now goes to the Legislature and, if approved and signed by the governor, would go into effect in September.