Washington/Chicago | Reuters — The Trump administration is considering direct payments to U.S. farmers of $2 per bushel for soybeans as part of an aid package to offset the trade war with China, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, an offer that could encourage more soy planting despite record supplies. China is the world’s top soybean importer, […] Read more
U.S. to favour soybeans in trade war aid for farmers
New Trump aid plan for U.S. farmers to rely on direct payments
Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration’s second package of aid for U.S. farmers hit by the trade war with China is expected to have a similar structure to last year’s program, using direct payments and commodity purchases, industry sources briefed on the plan said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still finalizing the plan, […] Read more
U.S. plans more aid for farmers amid China trade spat
Chicago/Washington | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Friday that President Donald Trump had asked him to create a plan to help U.S. farmers cope with the heavy impact of the U.S.-China trade war on agriculture. A new aid program would be the second round of assistance for farmers, after the Department […] Read more
USDA facing fund cuts
Trump proposes cuts as farmers grapple with their worst crisis in decades due in part to the tariff wars
Washington | Reuters – United States President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget has proposed a 15 per cent cut for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling its subsidies to farmers “overly generous” at a time when farmers are going through the worst crisis in decades due to depressed commodity prices and trade tariffs. The president’s budget […] Read more
Floods shut nearly a sixth of U.S. ethanol production
Mead, Neb./New York | Reuters — Massive flooding in the U.S. Midwest has knocked out roughly 13 per cent of the nation’s ethanol production capacity, as plants in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota have been forced to shut down or scale back production following the devastation. Production facilities owned by large companies like Archer Daniels […] Read more
U.S. farmers face devastation following Midwest floods
Winslow, Neb./Chicago | Reuters — Midwestern farmers have been gambling they could ride out the U.S.-China trade war by storing their corn and soybeans anywhere they could — in bins, plastic tubes, in barns or even outside. Now, the unthinkable has happened. Record floods have devastated a wide swath of the Farm Belt across Iowa, […] Read more
Economic challenges mean U.S. farm bankruptcies are up but land prices hold steady
USDA says farm real estate prices holding up, but the potential for a fall is there
Reuters – The United States Department of Agriculture is concerned about a potential decline in farmland real estate prices, but has seen no sign of that happening so far, said USDA chief economist Robert Johansson. Farmland prices are a key pillar of equity for the U.S. agricultural heartland, which has been suffering from lingering weakness […] Read more
Trump’s EPA unveils plan to pump up ethanol as Big Oil cries foul
Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released its proposed rule lifting a summer ban on higher-ethanol blends of gasoline to help farmers, putting the agency on a collision course with Big Oil which has called the move illegal. The proposal to broaden sales of the so-called E15 rule marks the latest flashpoint […] Read more
Trump budget proposes steep subsidy cuts to U.S. farmers
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget on Monday proposed a 15 per cent cut for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling its subsidies to farmers “overly generous” at a time when they are going through the worst crisis in decades because of depressed commodity prices and Trump’s trade tariffs. The Republican […] Read more
U.S. EPA sends proposed new E15 rule to White House
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday it had sent a draft of its proposed rule allowing year-round sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline to the White House Office of Budget for review. The rule expanding sales of so-called E15 was promised by President Donald Trump late last year […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
