United States Senator and current democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a stop to the Downtown Farmers’ Market in Des Moines on Saturday, May 4, 2019, to greet Iowans. (Photo: Bryon Houlgrave, The Register (Des Moines) via Reuters Marketplace)

Bernie Sanders promises help for family farms

Reuters — U.S. presidential contender Bernie Sanders unveiled a plan on Sunday to help family farmers and rural residents, promising to break up corporate agricultural monopolies and invest heavily in social and economic programs in struggling rural communities. Sanders, an independent U.S. senator and fierce corporate critic, said on a campaign trip to Iowa that […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Trump administration eyes more aid to farmers if necessary

Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration is ready to provide more federal aid to farmers if required, a White House adviser said on Monday, after rolling out up to US$12 billion since last year to offset agricultural losses from the trade dispute with China. “We have allocated $12 billion, some such, to farm assistance. […] Read more

File photo of a Brazilian coffee plantation. (Sidney de Almeida/iStock/Getty Images)

Brazil plans to fight invasions by landless workers

Brasilia | Reuters — Brazil’s right-wing government under President Jair Bolsonaro will seek to classify invasions of farmland by landless workers movements as akin to terrorism, with harsher penalties for perpetrators, an agriculture ministry official said on Monday. Nabhan Garcia, land issues secretary at the ministry, said the government must convince the National Congress to […] Read more


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Canadian dairies get significant control over imports under TPP

Toronto | Reuters — Canada will give local dairy processors significant control over imports under a new trade deal with Pacific countries that opens the sheltered industry to further competition, according to a notice published by the federal government, which drew criticism from Canadian retailers. New quotas created by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Trump to slap more tariffs on Chinese goods

Washington | Reuters | Updated Sept. 18, 2018 — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will impose 10 per cent U.S. tariffs on about US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports, but he spared smart watches from Apple and Fitbit and other consumer products such as bicycle helmets and baby car seats. Trump, in […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. maps out tariff-related direct payments to farmers

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday its farm aid package would include US$4.7 billion in direct payments to farmers to help offset losses from retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports this season. The bulk of the payments, $3.6 billion, would be made to soybean farmers (all figures US$). That amounts […] Read more



U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a meeting of the National Space Council in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 18. (Photo: Reuters/Leah Millis)

Trump’s tariff war threatens to erode support of farmers

Chicago | Reuters — President Donald Trump’s tariff battle with key buyers of U.S. apples, soybeans and corn threatens the support of some of his biggest backers — U.S. farmers now seeing their livelihoods in jeopardy. Farmers overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2016 election, welcoming how he championed rural economies and vowed to repeal estate […] Read more