5 years, 4 months ago AFBF
As agriculture eagerly awaits a farm bill, another hurdle has emerged. Now, a forestry dispute appears to be in the way, according to Politico. Pat Roberts, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, continues to insist that the conference committee negotiators are “close” to reaching an agreement. He says finding an agreement on the forestry title is the biggest obstacle. That’s because lawmakers are considering whether or not the title will include active management of areas at risk to wildfires, a request by President Donald Trump but opposed by Democrats and environmental groups. Opposition says active forest management could “devastate forests” and “wipe out plants and animals.” Roberts told reporters earlier this week that if the issue is settled, “that would indicate that the light went from yellow to green” on the entire conference report.
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Romaine Growers to Change Labeling, Resume Selling
Romaine lettuce growers can harvest and send their product to market with special regional labeling. The Food and Drug Administration called the labeling voluntary, which includes harvest location and harvest date. The labeling agreement was negotiated by a number of romaine grower-shipper-processors, who have each pledged to abide by the labeling suggestions, according to the United Fresh Produce Association. The FDA advisory had virtually banned romaine sales in the United States. In a statement, the FDA believes it was critically important to have a “clean break” in the romaine supply available to consumers in the U.S. in order to “purge the market” of potentially contaminated romaine lettuce related to the current outbreak. Since, the FDA has isolated the outbreak to the Central Coast growing regions of central and northern California.
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Argentina Replaces China as Largest Buyer of U.S. Soy
The trade war between the U.S. and China has made Argentina the top buyer of U.S. soybeans. Department of Agriculture Data shows that 1.3 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans have been inspected for export to Argentina from September 1 through November 22. That compares with none in the same year-ago period. China, previously the top buyer of U.S. soy, is seeking purchases elsewhere amid the tit-for-tat trade war with the United States. Bloomberg News reports that normally Argentina processes its own soybeans to export meal and oil. But, with China on the hunt for non-American soy, it’s shipping out more raw beans and buying more from the U.S. to feed its crushers, especially after a drought earlier this year curbed output. At the start of the trade war, China placed a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybean, seeking to inflict the most pain possible on the U.S. by targeting agriculture.
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Agreement Nearing to Allow Argentine Beef in U.S.
Argentina is closing in on an agreement to send exports of beef to the United States for the first time in nearly 20 years. Reuters reports the agreement, expected to be signed within days, would simultaneously open beef imports to both countries. Argentina’s International Trade Secretary says the deal would open a market for the U.S. cattle sector, although demand for U.S. beef is low in Argentina. Under the agreement being crafted, Argentina would have a 20,000 metric ton limit on exports to the U.S., while there would be no limit on U.S. beef exports to Argentina. Another senior Argentine official confirmed that Argentina and the United States were “close” to striking a deal, according to Reuters. Argentina stopped exporting beef to the United States about 17 years ago due to U.S. concerns about contamination of Argentine cattle by foot-and-mouth disease.
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Abraham Introduces Bill to Help Soybean Farmers Access Tariff Relief Program
Congressman Ralph Abraham, a Louisiana Republican, has introduced legislation to help soybean farmers better access a program designed to offset losses caused by Chinese tariffs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the Market Facilitation Program earlier this year that offers payments to soybean farmers based on losses to their harvested acres incurred by Chinese tariffs. However, Abraham says not all soybean farmers have access to the program. In his home state, Louisiana, for example, many soybean farmers have either harvested with nowhere to take their beans or been unable to harvest at all, because local storage facilities are full of out of state soybeans normally destined for export, leaving Louisiana growers unable to participate in the MFP. The bill would amend the MFP to allow payments in some circumstances based on “planted acres” instead of “harvested acres.” This change will allow soybean farmers who could not take their crop to market the ability to still participate in the tariff relief program.
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Brady Introduced Biodiesel Tax Credit Extenders
Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican and chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, has introduced a bill to extend biodiesel tax credits. The legislation would make technical corrections to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and extend several expired tax credits, including the biodiesel and renewable diesel tax incentive. The National Biodiesel Board applauded the proposal that would provide a multi-year extension and would keep the credit at its current rate of $1.00 per gallon for 2018 through 2021 but gradually reduce it to $0.33 per gallon by 2024 and then allow it to expire. NBB says that “too often, the credit has been allowed to lapse and then reinstated retroactively, which does not provide the certainty businesses need to plan, invest, and create jobs.” Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, NBB says biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification.
