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Leaders of the two major U.S. farm groups comments on the coming new farm bill debate. Meanwhile, the House is preparing a big eight-bill omnibus spending package. Updates on lumber, ethanol and pork trade policy.

Key USDA reports on Thursday | Congress is out | Fed speakers on tap

In this week's newsletter, we outline weather and take a close look at the farm bill process .. and much more.

Senate joins House in recess | Employment report | No Trump announcement today on China | Perdue in Minnesota | Banks again cut oil price forecasts | China not clamoring for U.S. beef

Bloomberg reports U.S. soybeans are part of any China trade retaliation plan if President Trump unveils trade sanctions against them. Meanwhile, three CFTC nominees move to the Senate, and an update on USDA nominees.

Trumps lists WOTUS replacement and beef sales to China as key accomplishments so far. Trump team may soon announce trade move against China.

Timelines presented for tax reform and a new farm bill, an EPA hearing on RFS mandates, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pens an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on trade policy strategy.

House out, Senate in | Employment report | White House upheaval | Farm bill listening sessions

Sen. McCain helps defeat GOP health-care plan | Japan takes action on frozen beef imports | Meat industry warns about KORUS rewrite | Carl Icahn and RINs | Another farm bill listening session

NAFTA concerns mount as USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue is in Mexico and USTR Robert Lighthizer comments on trade with China and on NAFTA.

Clovis officially nominated for key USDA post | Commerce Secretary Ross comments on several trade issues | FOMC statement today | Farm bill timeline | Biofuels

Sen. McCain returns as the Senate gears up for a key health-care procedural vote. Meanwhile, GOP leaders mull whether they want a minibus or omnibus regarding spending bills.

The House will depart for the summer recess once its weekly agenda is completed while the Senate will remain in session another two weeks. The FOMC has a two-day meeting ending Wednesday.

Key events for next week and updates on key policy issues.

Senate panel approved an ag spending bill for fiscal 2018, including language requiring genetically engineered salmon be labeled and allowing cotton growers to qualify for commodity support programs.

A proposal to replace an Obama-imposed WOTUS rule should be out by December, according to the first federal regulatory agenda issued by the Trump administration, but no word on when the repeal will take place.

Sen. McCain has a brain cancer, more USDA sub cabinet nominees, House budget resolution goes to the floor amid vote hurdles, and President Trump blasts off in an interview with the New York Times.

Updates on ag spending and SNAP cuts, budget resolution, U.S.-China meeting, biodiesel tax incentive bill and more key policy topics.

Addressing trade issues and provisions to bring down the U.S. trade deficits with Mexico and Canada have been released by the Trump administration as objectives to improve NAFTA.

House committee action on a budget resolution, a deferred Senate vote, again, on the lingering health-care reform bill, and NAFTA 2.0-related developments are the focal points in Washington this week.

Corn, soybean and wheat futures saw sharp pressure at midday. We cover crop condition ratings, USDA reports... and much more.

President Trump nominated Stephen Censky as USDA deputy secretary and more subcabinet nominees are likely in the weeks ahead.

Congress is starting to move fiscal year 2018 spending bills, including Agriculture and EPA funding.

Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen is testifying today before the House Financial Services panel.

Fed leader Yellen testifies before Congress; President Trump is in France. House action on FY 2018 spending bills, including agriculture and immigration enforcement funding. Health-care reform still a Senate focus.

Health-care reform and budget resolution delayed | House to cut transportation funding | Emergency haying allowed on CRP land | Group wants quick action on Argentine biodiesel | WOTUS rule hurdle

With just three weeks before the long August congressional recess, lawmakers face a daunting list of hard-to-get issues like health-care reform and a House budget resolution.

U.S. employers accelerated their pace of hiring in June, a sign of labor market growth eight years into the economic expansion, but wage growth numbers disappointed.

Trump meets Putin | Dicamba ban vote | Syngenta | Trade policy | Budget markup next week | Food industry mega changes | Renewables best nuclear energy

Updates on North Korea, trade policy, 2018 House elections and other key policy topics.

North Korea's successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile is the major focus of world leaders.

EPA proposed to reduce the volume of biofuel required to be used in gasoline and diesel fuel next year as it signaled the first step toward a potential broader overhaul of its biofuels program.

The Federal Reserve today released minutes from its June 13-14 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, with several major items remaining in the murky category.

It took far longer and several false starts, but the U.S. and Mexico on Monday finally signed amendments to a sugar deal brokered between the two countries, the Commerce Department announced.

Brazil ethanol, Argentine biodiesel factors behind RFS delay

Marketing year average price for wheat, oats came in under reference price; barley prices just above

Congress is out for the week while President Trump travels to the G20 summit in Germany

Trump and Putin | Yellen | CBO baseline | Conaway budget deal | Perdue in China | U.S. rice to China | U.S.-Mexico sugar deal | N. Plains drought | Menu labeling | U.S.-Japan trade | Debt limit | India poultry

Action continues in Washington despite a Senate GOP leadership pullback of its health-care reform measure.

Perdue to visit China | CBO update | Lumber dispute | NAFTA hearings | WOTUS rule | Brazil and beef | EU on trade

A possible Friday Senate vote on health-care reform and House votes on two bills that would crack down on illegal immigration are the focus in Congress in the week ahead.

Consumers are expected to see supermarket prices in 2017 steady to 1 percent higher than 2016 when they fell for the first time since 1967, according to USDA’s Food Price Outlook report.

The wait is over as Republican leadership finally released their version of health-care reform. It is similar in some ways to the House-passed measure, but differs significantly in other ways.

Updates on Elections | ‘Sue and settle’ | Trump in Iowa | Dicamba | Saudi Arabia | China | Logistics | Data mining

A defense spending markup, a Georgia House election, more details regarding President Donald Trump’s trade policy agenda and a Trump visit to Iowa are the key items on this week’s agenda.

The congressional baseball game played Thursday is an apt focal point to what is right and what is needed not only in Washington but throughout the nation.

Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) held a hearing on legislation that would ease restrictions on the sale of gasoline blended with at least 15% ethanol, but it is a measure he opposes.

The Trump administration is showing that it is using agricultural trade to start opening markets to U.S. products, with last week’s tentative sugar accord to Mexico and now a beef trade protocol with China.

Grain and soybean futures ended the overnight session lower amid profit-taking and forecasts for rains

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue appears before a Senate Ag Appropriations panel and another key hearing by the Senate Intelligence panel on the Russia situation are key agenda items this week in Washington.