A major 11-country agreement goes into effect Sunday, reshaping trade rules among economic powerhouses like Japan, Canada, Mexico and Australia — but the United States won't be a part of it.That means that Welch's grape juice, Tyson's pork and California almonds will remain subject to tariffs in Japan, for example, while competitors' products from countries participating in the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will eventually be duty-free.Japan will offer similar tariff relief to the European Union, in a separate trade deal set to go into effect on F [node:read-more:link]

he Trump administration is now allowing more chicken-processing plants to operate at faster speeds, a controversial move that some fear will hurt workers and chicken consumers by lowering safety standards. Plants that receive a waiver from the Trump administration will be able to process up to 175 birds per minute, up from the old limit of 140 birds per minute. The administration recently published new criteria spelling out what it would take to get a waiver.

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The Food and Drug Administration signaled a potential softening of its stance on cannabis-based food and drink sales. Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the agency is looking for “pathways” that would legalize the sale of CBD oil and other cannabis-derived compounds in food, beverages and supplements. [node:read-more:link]

A discovery by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) shows that recycling carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals and fuels can be economical and efficient -- all through a single copper catalyst. When you take a piece of copper metal, it may feel smooth to the touch, but at the microscopic level, the surface is actually bumpy -- and these bumps are what scientists call "active sites," said Joel Ager, a researcher at JCAP who led the study. [node:read-more:link]

Congress has ignored requests from the Trump administration to zero out rural housing programs. But merely protecting current funding will not address rural housing needs adequately, advocates say. Building stronger rural communities requires creating new housing initiatives, not just preserving the housing stock that is already in place, says the head of a national rural housing nonprofit.“Rural is not just small urban,” HAC’s communications manager, Dan Stern, told the Daily Yonder. [node:read-more:link]

The Class I mover ranged from a low of 13.36/cwt in March to a high of just $16.33 in October. At no time did the Class I mover in 2018 close higher than the December 2017 price of $16.88.The Class I mover is the base price for fluid milk prices, with differentials then added on top of the mover to determine the fluid milk minimum price for each Federal Order. In the Midwest, for example, a $1.80 differential is commonly added to the Class I mover; in Florida, the differential can be $5.40.The Class III price ranged from a low of $13.40/cwt in February to a high of $16.09 in September. [node:read-more:link]

Too often, in mainstream media agricultural topics are covered by someone who can’t pick out the north end of a southbound cow. When a real farmer speaks, people love to listen, and that creates ripple effect, for better or for worse, on the entire agriculture community.he current dairy economy is very challenging right now. Any producer can tell you that. [node:read-more:link]

Last week at the 2018 MILK Business Conference, we hosted three CEOs to discuss the state of the industry. Andrei Mikhalevsky (AM) is the President and CEO of California Dairies Inc. He joined CDI in 2012. Tony Sarsam (TS) is CEO of Borden, where he leads more than 3,300 employees across 13 processing plants and nearly 100 distribution centers. Rick Smith (RS) has been president and CEO of Dairy Farmers of America since 2006. [node:read-more:link]

Is the U.S. dairy industry declining? Dairy farmers, especially those with small, organic farms, have been grappling with low prices from tightened trade and decreasing domestic demand for dairy milk. The U.S. should expect its lowest year-on-year growth since 2013, according to Dairy Quarterly Q4 2018, a Rabobank report. [node:read-more:link]

After ringing in the New Year, you'll have a new option for picking up your dinner in Oregon when a law allowing people to harvest and eat roadkill goes into effect. Lawmakers approved the measure back in 2017, which states that states “salvaging deer and elk struck by vehicles is legal in Oregon.”People must complete and submit an application for a permit within 24 hours of salvaging the elk or deer. The application cannot be submitted beforehand because it requires specific information about location and time of the salvage. [node:read-more:link]