5 years, 2 months ago National Ag News
The “Green New Deal” introduced by Democrats last week seeks to work with farmers and ranchers to achieve “net zero greenhouse gas emissions.” The resolution is nonbinding, which means it would create no new programs if it did pass Congress, according to the Hagstrom Report, but it is a framework for discussion, especially in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Food & Environment Reporting Network says one section of the resolution addresses agricultural production, calling for collaborative work with U.S. farmers and ranchers “to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible,” including by supporting family farming, investing in sustainable farming and land use practices that increase soil health, and “building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food.” Rob Larew, senior vice president of public policy and communications for the National Farmers Union, says the organization understands “the need for action on climate change,” adding “NFU stands ready to work with Congress” to ensure that any federal legislation recognizes “what’s at stake for farm families and rural communities.” The Green New Deal, however, isn't expected to gain any approval from Republicans.
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USDA to Release More Long-Term Ag Outlook Data Tables
The Department of Agriculture will release data for the upcoming USDA Agricultural Projections to 2028 report. The data tables, due out Thursday, will include projections for farm income, U.S. fruits, nuts and vegetables supply and use, and global commodity trade. Data tables containing long-term supply, use, and price projections to 2028 for major U.S. crops and livestock products as well as supporting U.S. and international macroeconomic assumptions were released in November of last year. USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson says the complete USDA Agricultural Projections to 2028 report will be released on March 13, 2019, and will include a full discussion of the projections for U.S. commodity supply and use, farm income, and global commodity trade. USDA's long-term agricultural projections represent a departmental consensus on a ten-year representative scenario for the agricultural sector. The projections do not represent USDA forecasts, but rather reflect a conditional long-run scenario based on specific assumptions about macroeconomic conditions, policy, weather and international developments, with no domestic or external shocks to global agricultural markets.
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Canada Canola Exports Facing Delays to China
Since the arrest of a Huawei official in Canada, commodity flows between Canada and China have slowed. Reuters reports that the political dispute between China and Canada over the arrest of a Huawei executive is slowing canola shipments through Chinese ports and causing some importers to hesitate to buy from their biggest supplier. Cargoes of Canadian canola in the time since the arrest have taken longer to clear Chinese customs and GMO permits. Canola stocks in Canada have reached record-high year-end levels and trade analysts call the delays by China in approving the shipments unusual. Normally, China buys some $2.5 billion of Canadian canola each year. Trade officials suspect that China is likely carrying out the heightened checks to "pressure Canada" amid the current diplomatic tensions. A dozen traders, some with direct knowledge of sales in Canada and China, and others in the U.S. who monitor sales, told Reuters the shipping pace has noticeably slowed since the political dispute began.
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Survey Suggests Increased Cotton Plantings in 2019
U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 14.5 million cotton acres this spring, up 2.9 percent from 2018, according to the National Cotton Council’s 38th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey. Upland cotton intentions are 14.2 million acres, up 2.8 percent from 2018, while extra-long staple intentions of 264,000 acres represent a 6.3 percent increase. The survey results were announced over the weekend at the NCC’s 2019 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. NCC’s Dr. Jody Campiche (CAM-pea-CHEE) says history shows that “U.S. farmers respond to relative prices when making planting decisions.” For the 2019 crop year, many producers have indicated a desire to reduce soybean acres due to low returns in 2018. As a result, corn is expected to provide the strongest competition for cotton acres in 2019, according to Campiche. The NCC questionnaire, mailed in mid-December 2018 to producers across the 17-state Cotton Belt, asked producers for the number of acres devoted to cotton and other crops in 2018 and the acres planned for the coming season. Survey responses were collected through mid-January.
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Montana Lawmakers Mull COOL Bill
A new bill in the Montana legislature seeks country-of-origin labeling on meat products. Senate Bill 206 would restore COOL for beef and pork sold in Montana. Supported by the Northern Plains Resource Council, the council says the bill would require that placards be placed in meat counters to inform consumers about where the meat was born, raised, harvested and processed. Northern Plains is working with the Montana Cattlemen’s Association and Montana Farmers Union to reinstate COOL during the 2019 legislative session, according to AgWeek. The Council helped pass a similar bill in 2005 with a sunset if a federal law was enacted. While a federal COOL measure was approved in 2009, it was repealed in 2015. If passed, the law would be implemented by Montana’s Department of Labor and Industry. The bill was introduced last week and was referred to the Montana Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee.
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National Toast to Farmers Friday
Coors is brewing up a national toast to farmers this Friday, promising “more details to come” on Twitter. So far, little information has emerged, but in the Tweet Sunday, Coors says “Let’s all raise a cold one to the hard working American farmers.” The upcoming national toast to farmers Friday stems from the spat that started with a Bud Light Superbowl commercial, blasting Miller Lite and Coors Light for including corn syrup in their ingredients. Corn syrup is used in the brewing process by Coors, and while the ingredient doesn’t end up in the final product, the company says Bud Light attacked “hard-working American farmers who grow our great ingredients.” In a reported statement to distributors, Coors says the brand is “standing up for our beers, our ingredients, and the farmers who grow them." Meanwhile, just last week, Pete Coors joined members of the National Corn Growers Association during action team meetings in Denver.
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U.S.-China trade talks could be extended past a March 1st deadline, without reigniting a tariff war between the two nations. That, from an American Farm Bureau Federation Trade official.
AFBF trade adviser Dave Salmonsen is not that worried President Trump will carry out his threat to sharply hike tariffs on 200-billion in Chinese goods without a deal by March 1st…
“If it looks like they’re making progress, and then putting off the tariff increase from 10-percent to 25-percent on the Chinese imports is going to help things, then that was certainly done in December…that could definitely be extended.”
Chinese officials are sounding positive about the talks, continuing in Beijing this week, first between lower-level officials and later in the week with the US Trade Representative and Treasury Secretary.
But Salmonsen says of a final deal…
“I think that will have to wait until the principals meet—President Trump and President Xi (Zshee)—if there is going to be any kind of a final agreement or final deal…or, is this a set-up for future talks?”
President Trump told reporters last week he would not meet with President Xi before the March 1st deadline, suggesting not enough progress has been made on key issues.
USTR Robert Lighthizer is pressing the Chinese hard to end their alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property and the forced transfer of technology as the price for US firms to do business in China.
China continues ‘good will’ buys of U.S. soybeans, but the trade war has cost U.S. growers, pork producers and others in and out of ag, billions in lost trade and possible future lost market share.
