US Farmers ‘Helpless’ as TPP Boosts Aust
SBS News (Australia) – 12/30/2018
“Japan is generally a market where we seek to maintain our strong 53 per cent market share, but today we face an imminent collapse,” US Wheat Associates President Vince Peterson told a public hearing held by the US Trade Representative earlier this month. “Frankly, this is because of provisions negotiated by (former US president Barack Obama’s administration) for our benefit under the Trans-Pacific Partnership. “Our competitors in Australia and Canada will now benefit from those provisions, as US farmers watch helplessly.”
Trump Pulled Out of a Massive Trade Deal. Now 11 Countries are Going Ahead Without the US
CNN– 12/29/2018
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.
Wheat Associates likes Cuba Trade Provision Contained in the Farm Bill
WNAX Radio – 12/26/2018
The recently signed Farm Bill contains a provision that repeals part of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and lays the groundwork for comprehensive trade between the U.S. and Cuba. The provision codifies the ability of U.S. farmers receiving USDA market promotion grants to direct those funds toward marketing their products in Cuba. U.S. Wheat Associates Steve Mercer says it’s very positive for America’s wheat growers.
US Farmers Fear Japan Losses
DTN Grains – 12/28/2018
“Japan is our largest, most reliable and valuable market,” buying about half its imported wheat from Americans, said Vince Peterson, head of U.S. Wheat Associates. “But today we face an imminent collapse,” he warned, as competitors will soon be able to sell their products at an effective tariff rate nearly 10% below those facing U.S. growers.
American Farmers Set for More Pain as Pacific Trade Deal Kicks in Without the US
CNBC – 12/31/2018
American farmers, already hit by low commodity prices and China’s punitive trade tariffs, are poised to endure further pain in 2019 now that a major Pacific trade deal has come into effect.
Grain Markets Expected Better to Start on South American Weather
DTN- The Progressive Farmer – 01/02/2019
Wheat markets are called higher after the concentrated selling pressure Monday that saw new contract lows in Chicago, while Minneapolis is bobbing just above contract lows made last week. While the government has been shut down, price has made U.S. wheat competitive with major importers.
Foreign Agricultral Service Forges Ahead to Expand Trade in 2019
USDA – 12/21/2018
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forged ahead to expand export opportunities and diversify markets for U.S. farm and food products in 2018, and those efforts paid off with global sales remaining robust despite numerous challenges in the international trade arena.
A Trade Disadvantage for U.S. Wheat
Red River Farm Network – 12/28/2018
North Dakota Wheat Commission Executive Director Neal Fisher says U.S. wheat must prepare for a worst-case scenario. “Tariffs with a country like Japan become less for those involved,” explains Fisher. “Eventually, Canada and Australia will have a $2/bushel advantage over the U.S. That’s the worst case scenario.”
Budget, Trade Among Issues Crowding Lawmakers’ 2019 Agenda
AgriPulse – 01/02/2019
Lawmakers face a packed agenda when the new Congress begins on Thursday, starting with finding a resolution to the government shutdown that hit USDA, the Interior Department and other departments and agencies that don’t have their fiscal 2019 spending allocations yet.
USDA Announces Second Trade Mitigation Payments
Agrinews – 12/24/2018
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials announced Dec. 17 producers of certain commodities are now eligible to received Market Facilitation Program payments for the second half of their 2018 production. Payments were initially approved in September for the first 50 percent of total production.
Sharing Wheat Knowledge
Kansas Ag Connection – 01/02/2019
Justin Knopf has a pretty good idea of the quality of wheat he grows each year on his Salina, Kansas farm. What he didn’t fully understand was how the wheat that leaves his farm becomes the high quality flour or other product that consumers want. Knopf was one of 16 people representing five state and national wheat organizations who recently participated in a three-day training session at the IGP Institute, located on the north end of the Kansas State University campus.
Missouri to Explore State Wheat Growers Organization
Succesful Farming – 12/28/2018
Through a grower’s association, a per-bushel checkoff could be established, which would support the University of Missouri’s wheat breeding program and support other initiatives to help wheat growers succeed.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates