U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are scheduled to travel to China next week to start a new round of face-to-face trade talks.  As the negotiations continue, many Corn Belt producers face substantial financial losses due to…

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its 10-year projections for the food and agricultural sector.  The report noted that, “Over the next several years, the agricultural sector will continue to adjust to the ongoing China-U.S. trade dispute (which is…

In testimony last week before the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer displayed a more cautious tone in describing U.S., China trade negotiations.  Meanwhile, recent news items provided perspective on variables impacting the trade flows of soybeans and…

The executive branch released its Federal budget proposal this week.  Like previous Trump administration budget outlines in 2017, and last year, Monday’s framework sought cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.  Today’s update highlights recent news reports that discuss some of…

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve Board released its February 2019 Beige Book update, a summary of commentary on current economic conditions by Federal Reserve District. The report included several observations pertaining to the U.S. agricultural economy.

Last week, China purchased U.S. soybean and sorghum exports.  Nonetheless, farmers remained concerned about a trade resolution between the U.S. and China as more melancholy reports emerge about progress in the on-going negotations.