Ag Policy
From a possible trade war to brewing discontent within the country, there are five significant trends poised to shape China in the coming year.
Will corporations, LLCs, and LPs be required to report Beneficial Ownership Information soon? Here’s the latest developments.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the second round of RAPP grants, which is intended to allocate $300 million, expanding American food and agricultural exports in emerging global markets.
Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.
As the Trump administration prepares to return to the White House, these appointments signal a continuation of its previous agricultural policies and priorities, with experienced individuals who have both legal expertise and connections to the farming community.
If the funding measure fails, USDA has a contingency plan in place for essential workers and services. The plan would retain a small number of administrative employees to oversee activities including disaster response and cybersecurity should funding lapse.
Pork producers do not have the luxury of waiting for Congress to pass a new, five-year Farm Bill next year, says Lori Stevermer, president of the National Pork Producers Council.
Agricultural groups said over the weekend they do not support year-end spending package sans economic aid for ag producers.
This marks another milestone toward protecting Ohio agriculture against the massive disease and economic threat posed by non-native feral swine entering the state.
“I know people are concerned about the tariffs, but the fact is, [Trump] looks at tariffs as a way to get their attention and eventually to get better and reciprocal trade agreements,” says Terry Branstad.
Tariffs could lead to produce shortages as well as price hikes, experts warn Mexico and Canada are top suppliers of U.S. agricultural imports. Tariffs may disrupt cattle and pork trade between U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until they clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border, in a move that would appear to violate a free-trade deal.
In an announcement on Saturday, Trump said her “commitment to support the American farmer, the defense of American food self-sufficiency and the restoration of agriculture-dependent American small towns is second to none.”
The Senate passed bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Rev. Raphael Warnock to support the Beagle Brigade, a specialized group of canine units stationed at airports and ports of entry to prevent the spread of devastating foreign animal diseases.
Trump taps Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary, signaling tariff-heavy trade strategy. Lutnick has called the tariffs a negotiating tool that could be used to convince other countries to bring down their own levies or to force companies to move production to the U.S.
Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow finally released the full text of the Senate farm bill on Monday, but it’s already drawing intense criticism. Even usually optimistic House Ag Chair GT Thompson signaled it’s time to focus on a 2018 farm bill extension by year’s end.
Threats of widespread tariffs and concerns about retaliation continue to stoke uneasiness in agriculture. With a growing trade deficit and hopes the U.S. could re-embark on the Phase One trade deal with China, could the focus back on trade be positive for agriculture?
The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, which builds on the proposal Stabenow released in May, includes $39 billion in new resources “to keep farmers farming, families fed and rural communities strong.”
Nomination sparks debate over Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance and Senate support
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) wins Majority Leader race. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) was eliminated on the first ballot. And Thune beat Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) 29-24 on the second ballot.
Trump stated that Zeldin would “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions” to “unleash the power of American businesses.” The administration aims to maintain “the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet” while pursuing deregulation.
Now that the election results are in, the parlor game of who President-elect Donald Trump will tap to serve on his Cabinet has returned, and there’s a host of possibilities.
Measure J, initiated by the Coalition to End Factory Farming, appears to be headed for defeat with 85% of voters rejecting it as of the latest updated results on Nov. 6.
Trump garnered even stronger support in rural America versus his still robust rural vote in this first administration. That is likely a backlash against the ag policy moves of the Biden/Harris administration that focused on underserved and minority rural citizens.
China braces for continued superpower rivalry regardless of the U.S. election outcome.
Which Presidential Candidate Is More Likely to Tame Inflation or Support Farm Policies and Biofuels?
Ahead of the election, the October Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor asked economists which presidential candidate will be better for agriculture on taming inflation, providing more certainty on farm policy, as well as more likely to support biofuels policies.
The race tightened over the weekend as the Des Moines Register’s final presidential poll shockingly had Harris up three points in the state, underscoring that the election will be closer than current market expectations
Time is running short for Congress to come together to address the farm bill in a bipartisan way, says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s latest report recommends moving beans, peas and lentils from the vegetable group to the protein group.
In its comments for the most recent report, NPPC listed 20 countries and the European Union as having varying tariff and/or non-tariff barriers limiting U.S. pork exports.