AgClips
Recent AgClips
Plastic Industry Faces Backlash That Threatens Chemical Makers
Bloomberg | Posted onApril 24, 2019 in Energy NewsThe chemical industry is heading for a slowdown as society turns against disposable plastics and the rise of recycling weakens demand, IHS Markit predicted at its annual World Petrochemical Conference.After climbing to multi-year highs, chemical earnings will drop this year and won’t recover until 2023 as environmental issues add to the drag from a downturn in the global economy, according to the global research firm.“Plastic waste I believe is going to be the sustainability issue of our time,” Jim Fitterling, chief executive officer of Dow Inc.
The Poverty-Reducing Effect of Five Key Government Programs in Rural and Urban America
Carsey School of Public Policy | Posted onApril 24, 2019 in Rural NewsFederal programs are critical for helping those with low incomes make ends meet. But not all such programs are equally effective at reducing poverty, nor do they benefit all of those in poverty uniformly.
Farmers using more conservation techniques despite lower enrollment in federal programs
KUNC | Posted onApril 23, 2019 in Agriculture NewsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recently released 2017 Census of Agriculture data show the amount of land in the largest federal conservation programs has decreased nationwide and in many Midwest and Plains states. But that doesn’t mean farmers are ignoring soil health, nutrient runoff or erosion problems. The census asks about federal conservation and wetlands programs, which Michigan State University researcher Adam Reimer said typically refers to land retirements — taking marginal lands out of production in exchange for money.
Trump's Mexico-Canada deal would bring minimal economic gains, trade agency says
Politico | Posted onApril 23, 2019 in NewsThe U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is likely to provide a slight boost to the American economy, the U.S. International Trade Commission said in an analysis of the Trump administration’s signature trade accomplishment.The new pact, which President Donald Trump has portrayed as a “truly groundbreaking achievement,” would raise U.S. GDP by $68.2 billion, or 0.35 percent, by the sixth year after it enters into force, the independent panel found. The USMCA would also create 176,000 U.S. jobs, increasing employment by 0.12 percent.
Farmers' share of food spending drops
Daily Yonder | Posted onApril 23, 2019 in Food NewsThe share of food spending that goes to America’s farmers fell for the sixth straight year in 2017, according to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS). Farmers earned 14.6 cents in commodity sales on every dollar Americans spent for food in 2017 – about a fifth of a cent less than farmers received in 2016.Farmers’ share of America’s food dollars has been eroding since 2011, when farmers received 17.6 cents for every dollar spent on food in the United States.
USDA orders scientists to say published research is ‘preliminary’
The Washington Post | Posted onApril 23, 2019 in Agriculture, Federal NewsResearchers at the Agriculture Department laughed in disbelief last summer when they received a memo about a new requirement: Their finalized, peer-reviewed scientific publications must be labeled “preliminary.” The July 2018 memo from Chavonda Jacobs-Young, the acting USDA chief scientist, told researchers their reports published in scientific journals must include a statement that reads: “The findings and conclusions in this preliminary publication have not been formally disseminated by the U.S.
WTO finds fault with China's agriculture trade restrictions
Bloomberg | Posted onApril 23, 2019 in Federal NewsChina didn’t follow proper procedures when it imposed trade restrictions on agricultural imports, the World Trade Organization said on Thursday in a ruling that bolsters President Donald Trump’s dispute against Beijing. China used a flawed and opaque approach when it administered tariff-rate quotas for rice, wheat, and corn, the Geneva-based arbiter of global trade disputes said on its website. It’s tariff-rate quota “administration contains legal flaws from the beginning through to the completion of the process,” the text of the ruling said.The decision could increase U.S.
Japan says TPP agreements are as far as they will go in US negotiations.
AP News | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Federal NewsMotegi told reporters that he told Lighthizer that Japan will not compromise on imports of agricultural products, saying that the conditions agreed in past negotiations are as far as Japan could go. Japan made significant concessions on imports of dairy and other farm products during tough negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a Pacific Rim trade deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from shortly after taking office in 2017.“In the area of agricultural products, conditions we have promised in past economic cooperation is as far as we can go.
Trump team readies PR offensive on North America trade deal's economic effects, report says minimal gains
Reuters | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Federal NewsThe Trump administration is readying a public relations offensive over the economic impact of its new North American trade deal to counter a crucial report expected on Thursday that economists see as likely to show minimal gains at best.Industry sources familiar with the administration’s plans told Reuters the U.S. International Trade Commission’s analysis of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement would be met with a rosier forecast from the U.S.
EU says it is ready to launch U.S. trade talks, but without agriculture
Reuters | Posted onApril 18, 2019 in Federal NewsThe European Union is ready to start talks on a trade agreement with the United States and aims to conclude a deal before year-end. The EU approved two areas for negotiation, opposed by France with an abstention from Belgium. But agriculture was not included, leaving the 28-country bloc at odds with Washington, which has insisted on including farm products in the talks.