Wheat Industry Welcomes New US Japan Trade Deal
Farm Progress – 09/04/2019
“We are very happy that this agreement will end the growing competitive cost advantage that Canadian and Australian wheat imports got under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) agreement,” says Doug Goyings, U.S. Wheat Associates chairman and Paulding, Ohio, farmer. “We want to say ‘thank you’ to the negotiators at the U.S. Trade Representative office and at the USDA trade and foreign affairs office for working so hard to prevent more export losses for farmers like me.” “We applaud the Administration for completing this much needed trade deal with Japan,” says Ben Scholz, National Association of Wheat Growers president and Lavon, Tex., farmer. “This is a huge win for those of us who grow wheat and all U.S. farmers and ranchers.”
Brazil Expected to Introduce Tariff-Free Wheat Import Quota from 2020
Reuters – 09/03/2019
Brazil is expected to introduce a tariff-free wheat import quota of 750,000 tonnes per year starting from 2020, the president of the country’s wheat industry group Abitrigo, Rubens Barbosa, said on Tuesday. Brazil announced the opening of the tariff-free wheat import quota earlier this year in connection with President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to the United States, with U.S. wheat producers seen as potential beneficiaries, although the policy has yet to be instituted. Despite being an agricultural powerhouse, Brazil is a net importer of wheat, since its tropical climate still poses challenges to expand wheat cultivation. It imported 3.9 million tonnes this year through July.
Germany to Ban Use of Glyphosate From End of 2023
Reuters – 09/04/2019
Germany will ban the use of the weedkiller glyphosate – the subject of billion-dollar U.S lawsuits over claims it causes cancer – from the end of 2023 and limit its use before then, the Environment Ministry said on Wednesday. Germany’s move comes after Austria’s lower house of parliament in July passed a bill banning all uses of glyphosate and after some 20 French mayors last month banned it from their municipalities, defying the government. Bayer disagreed with Germany’s decision, saying: “Such a ban would ignore the overwhelming scientific assessments of competent authorities around the world that have determined for more than 40 years that glyphosate can be used safely.”
Two New Winter Wheat Varieties to be Released from MSU Foundation Seed Program
Havre Daily News – 09/04/2019
A pair of new winter wheat varieties soon to be released by Montana State University breeders are designed to help address two issues that plague wheat farmers across the state, sawflies and stripe rust fungus, while improving crop yields. The Bobcat and Flathead varieties will be released this fall from the Montana Foundation Seed Program, according to veteran breeders Phil Bruckner and Jim Berg. The new varieties will be used to produce registered and certified seed through certified growers across Montana and should be available for purchase by the public between the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons. Two varieties released in 2018, Ray and Four0six, are now available for purchase statewide. Bruckner and Berg have a combined six decades of wheat breeding expertise and have made thousands of crosses in their careers to address various characteristics of winter wheat, from maturation date to head size or resistance to a particular pest or disease.
Crop Progress Report: North Dakota
North Dakota Wheat Commission – 09/04/2019
Weather conditions improved slightly last week to allow for decent harvest progress, although pace remains behind average. The most recent USDA Crop Progress report indicated that just over half – 55 percent – of the U.S. spring wheat has been harvested, up from 38 percent last week, but behind the average of 78 percent. Harvest is nearly 80 percent complete in South Dakota, 65 percent complete in Minnesota, about half done in North Dakota, and only 46 percent complete in Montana. The forecast for the upcoming week shows drier weather during the week, but a return to precipitation and cooler temperatures as the weekend approaches. Harvest reports continue to indicate average to slightly above average yields, with most producers indicating yields are not as high as last year. Quality analysis on harvested samples has begun at the wheat quality lab at NDSU. About 16 percent of the expected samples have been analyzed.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates