USDA inserted a somewhat unusual notice in the Federal Register. This USDA notice was just three pages long and it was written in everyday English. Although it was proposing to take a radical step -- moving the Economic Research Service and the National Institute on Food and Agriculture out of Washington, D.C. -- it made scant effort to justify the move. [node:read-more:link]
House Democrats and Senate Republicans remain bitterly divided over President Donald Trump's call for border-wall funding, but they appear to be on the same page about delaying USDA's controversial proposal to relocate a pair of research agencies outside of the Washington area. [node:read-more:link]
As the U.S. and European Union trade negotiations unfold, the two sides have competing perspectives over what will be discussed: The U.S. has included agriculture in its Summary of Specific Negotiating Objectives, while the EU has not. Despite the discord, recent trade data indicates that the EU has purchased an increasing amount of U.S. soybeans. “Trump boasted of his verbal agreement with leaders of the European Union, (‘we’re starting the documents,’ Trump said as an aside), that would move toward the elimination of trade barriers. [node:read-more:link]
On Thursday, the House revived previously unpublished conference report language in an effort to move the fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations process forward. The specific language expressed concern about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to relocate and reorganize the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA). [node:read-more:link]
The European Union is willing to discuss car tariffs but will not remove duties on farm products in trade talks with the United States, its trade chief said on Friday, setting it on a possible collision course with Washington. The European Commission, which coordinates trade policy for the 28 member European Union, published two negotiating mandates on Friday, which were notable more for what they left out than for what they included.The EU proposal on tariffs falls far short of the wide-ranging wish-list, including comprehensive agricultural market access, set out by U.S. [node:read-more:link]
Not withstanding, the president’s rhetoric, after 14 months of what appeared to be stressful negotiations, the new NAFTA (the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA) ended up looking a lot like the old NAFTA with relatively small changes in the agricultural provisions. The good news was not really that that there was promise of additional access to Canada’s dairy, poultry and eggs sectors (the benefits from which have been estimated to be small, increasing NAFTA exports by about 1 percent). [node:read-more:link]
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history will scar the federal bureaucracy and U.S. economy long after the doors are unlocked and workers return. The feds will struggle to dig out of a backlog of hiring and training that’s essential to pushing out tax refunds, protecting U.S. borders and guiding air traffic. [node:read-more:link]
U.S. President Donald Trump told members of the American Farm Bureau Federation that the agriculture industry needs immigrant workers, but those workers need to be in the country legally. Trump on January 14 addressed the AFBF national convention. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Forest Service has built its first corral for wild horses, which could allow it to bypass federal restrictions and sell the animals for slaughter. The agency acknowledged in court filings in a potentially precedent-setting legal battle that it built the new pen in Northern California for mustangs gathered this fall on national forest land along the Nevada border because of restrictions on such sales at other federal holding facilities.The agency denies claims by horse advocates it has made up its mind to sell the more than 250 horses for slaughter. [node:read-more:link]
“When we have proper security, people aren’t going to come, except for the people we want to come, because we want to take people in to help our farmers, etc.” “You need these people. It will make it easier. … I’m glad I told you that because, look, you’re in the business and a lot of people don’t understand this. You need people to help you with the farms and I’m not going to rule this out. … You’ve had some people for 20-25 years that are incredible, and then they go home. And they can’t get back in. [node:read-more:link]
