POLICY
Tax reform, the farm bill and trade policy will all be topics covered by Pro Farmer Jim Wiesemeyer at the 2018 Top Producer Seminar.
Global trade is taking center stage as chief executives from 60 nations are gathering in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF) this week.
The Real NAFTA Problem Is Canada, Not Mexico, Paul Ryan Says
Farmers showed up at the polls for Trump. Now they want him to do the same for them on NAFTA.
Trump Spares Turkeys and Jokes He Can’t Overturn Obama’s Pardons
One of the better tax credits relates to increasing research and development (R&D) in your farm operation. Congress has expanded the availability of the credit, and many farmers now qualify to take it.
President Donald Trump has been stressing the importance of fair trade, and in order to get fair trade, he has threatened walking away from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Why the Chicken May Still Cross the Border, Nafta or No Nafta
No stranger to dirty boots, John Dillard, an attorney with OFW Law, focuses his practice on agricultural and environmental litigation.
Canada Nafta Negotiator Sees More Movement Than Labor Leader
Nafta Nations Say Quick Deal on Table as Inaugural Talks End (1)
Rural America continues to be left behind in the race for high-speed internet service. Current solutions are expensive, slow, limited or intermittent.
Results from California’s Proposition 2 are mixed, with happy hens but higher egg prices.
Senate GOP to Back Trump on Border Wall, Risking Shutdown Fight
Traffic along the Ohio River is seeing major hurdles this harvest season. Just last week, Lock & Dam 53 closed due to a break-down as the hydraulics that open and close the lower gate failed to work properly. On Wed., Oct. 11, the U.S. Waterways Council said the issue this week is the rising river level. That forced the Ohio River to shut down to traffic at Locks & Dam 52 earlier in the week. With river levels already exceeding the maximum locking stage of 20.7 feet and expected to rise further through the end of the week, the Waterways Council expects limits to be placed on navigation until either Sunday or Monday.
Over the summer, producers experienced policy whiplash as several key agricultural issues took center stage in Washington, D.C.
The fate of major trade deals continues to be a pain point for U.S. agriculture, but President Trump is continuing to follow through on a campaign promise in the new year to take a tougher stance on trade.
FAA: Farm equipment radio interference threatens air traffic
A farmer’s photo and his accompanying statement on Twitter recently summed up the views of many U.S. wheat growers today. “Yes, I’m planting wheat, and no, I don’t know why,” the farmer said. That perspective is understandable. After the USDA released its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) in early November, corn and soybeans took the lead story away from wheat. Ending stocks for wheat for 2017/18 have been lowered 25 million bushels, with the report citing increased exports as the cause.
The Trump administration is considering a policy change that could allow an extra billion gallons or more of biofuel each year to qualify toward a U.S. mandate, lowering costs for refiners at the expense of ethanol producers, according to people briefed on the discussions.
Chip Flory commentary on river transportation problems leading to basis issues.
American Farm Bureau Federation tax expert Patricia Wolff outlines how the tax reform framework announced by the White House and Congress will impact farmers.
A law requiring foreign investors to report transactions of farmland to the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been on the books for almost 40 years. But as the amount of foreign-controlled farmland doubled in millions of acres between 2004 and 2014, the USDA has lapsed in enforcing the law, a review of USDA documents has found.
U.S. lawmakers have a big agenda and many things they hope to accomplish before the end of 2017: tax reform, farm bill and disaster relief.
The first two discussions between representatives from the U.S., Canada and Mexico on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) yielded little to no resolution on major issues that affect agriculture. Now, the renegotiation talks head north to Ottawa next week, Sept. 23-27.
Trump’s Top Trade Negotiator Says China Unprecedented Threat (1)
The Secretary of the Interior has suggested in a report that President Trump shrink a number of national monuments.
Tax reform is on the agenda in Washington D.C. when legislators return from a month-long recess. Before Congress resumes, President Donald Trump rolled out a four-point plan in Missouri earlier this week.