The government shutdown could stall progress on President Trump’s North American Free Trade Agreement replacement, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Analysis of the agreement has stopped during the shutdown as the U.S. International Trade Commission, responsible for examining the trade agreement, remains at a standstill. If continued, Politico reports the shutdown could delay release of the report…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
Partial Government Shutdown Closes FSA County Offices
Farm Service Agency offices are officially shut down. What does that mean for the second round of Market Facilitation Payments? A DTN report says producers who have already certified their 2018 production acres with FSA will continue to get their payments. For those who weren’t able to get the certification completed, they will have…… MORE
President Weighing NAFTA Cancellation
President Donald Trump and his advisers are reportedly considering canceling the North American Free Trade Agreement to help push the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement through Congress. A ProFarmer report says if the move gets made, it may present Congress with a hard choice to make. Marc Short is a former White House Director of Legislative Affairs…… MORE
Trade-Aid Payment Deadline May Need To Be Extended
The majority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t been disrupted by the partial government shutdown yet. If the dispute between Congress and the White House drags on, it could potentially affect how quickly the second round of trade aid payments get to farmers. Farm Service Agency offices remain open through Friday. That’s when…… MORE
Second Round of Trade Aid Payments Underway
USDA is moving forward on the second and final round of trade mitigation payments to California and farmers across the country hurt from retaliation by America’s trading partners. Commodity producers are now eligible to receive Market Facilitation Payments on the second half of their 2018 production. USDA has been sending out the first round…… MORE
Perdue Highlights USDA 2018 Accomplishments
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue took a look back at a busy year for the USDA and said his agency accomplished a lot of good things for American agriculture. “We fought for American farmers, ranchers, and producers by delivering new and improved trade deals like USMCA and a re-negotiated KORUS agreement, provided trade assistance to…… MORE
Some USDA Functions Running Despite Shutdown
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue detailed which functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will remain available in the event of a lapse in government funding. Some of the programs that will continue: Meat, poultry, and processed egg inspection services. Grain and other commodity inspection, weighing, grading, and IT support services funded by user…… MORE
Trump Signs Farm Bill
President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill on Thursday during a White House ceremony. The five-year bill sets agriculture policy and reauthorizes farm, conservation, nutrition, rural development, agricultural trade, as well as many other programs. The legislation also removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, which legalizes hemp production. The signing is good…… MORE
USDA Moves to Tighten Restrictions on Food Stamps
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain…… MORE
Merced Irrigation District Calls For Legal Against Bay Delta Plan
The Merced Irrigation District Board of Directors, according to a news release, is taking legal action against the State’s recently adopted Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan and Substitute Environmental Document. The Bay-Delta Plan SED was adopted in Sacramento on December 12. The plan, according to the MID, will divert up to half the water…… MORE
