trade

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its monthly agricultural trade data. Today's update includes an overview of some observations from the data with a focus on corn, soybeans, wheat and livestock.

Today's update highlights recent information on U.S. agricultural exports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and also explores agricultural related trade issues that have been identified in recent news articles.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada concluded a second round of NAFTA discussions yesterday as President Trump has continued to criticize the trade measure.  Meanwhile, concerns surfaced over the weekend about the possibility of a U.S. withdrawal from the South Korean trade…

Sara Schaefer-Munoz and Bob Davis reported in Monday's Wall Street Journal that, "[In the opening-round of talks to remake the North American Free Trade Agreement] which concluded Sunday, the [U.S., Mexico, and Canada] said in a trilateral statement they had made…

William Mauldin and Paul Vieira reported earlier this week at The Wall Street Journal Online that, "The Trump administration launched the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement Wednesday by laying out a starkly different vision from that of…

Today's update looks at recent news items that focus on the first round of NAFTA trade negotiations that are scheduled to start this week.  Along with some general background, the articles also highlight perspective from both Canada and Mexico, and…

Since President Trump took office in January, many in the agricultural sector have been leery of potential executive branch actions on trade, particularly with respect to China and our NAFTA trading partners.  As the NAFTA renegotiation process begins to unfold,…

Recall that last month, trade rules regarding U.S beef exports to China were finalized.  The U.S. had not exported beef to China since 2003, and on June 30th, an update from USDA indicated that, "U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue…

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its monthly agricultural trade data.  The data contained some interesting information with respect to U.S. agricultural exports.  The U.S. ran a small, but very rare monthly agricultural trade deficit in May;…

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday to examine the administration’s approach to trade policy, and heard testimony from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Farm state lawmakers expressed concern regarding agriculture and NAFTA renegotiation, admonishing the executive branch to…

Wall Street Journal writer Jacob Bunge reported late last week that, "Friction between the U.S. and Mexico over trade is starting to cut into sales for U.S. farmers and agricultural companies, adding uncertainty for an industry struggling with low commodity…

Andrew Soergel reported earlier this week at U.S. News Online that, "As President Donald Trump's administration sifts through its trade toolbox, preparing to tinker with the North American Free Trade Agreement, the agriculture world is holding its breath."

Mary A. Marchant indicated recently at Choices Online that, "International trade deficits have recently been reputed as 'bad' for the economy; however, agriculture has posted a trade surplus since 1959. For U.S. agriculture, trade represents 20% of farmers’ income on…

Shawn Donnan and Jude Webber reported on Thursday at The Financial Times Online that, "Donald Trump has fired the starting gun on renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, with his administration notifying Congress on…

Donnelle Eller reported on the front page of Friday's Des Moines Register that, "Opening markets for U.S. corn, soybeans and other farm goods would get more attention under a major reorganization proposal Thursday from U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, who…

During last week's tumultuous developments on trade, news reports indicated that Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was providing President Trump with data driven advice with respect to NAFTA and agriculture, and urged him not to trigger a U.S. withdrawal from…

Recall that a FarmPolicyNews update last week noted that a trade dispute with Canada over dairy policies related to ultra-filtered milk is adversely impacting some dairy farms in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York, and some of these dairy farms could…

Many agricultural producers have expressed concern over the direction of executive branch trade policy since January. These apprehensions may not be universally shared in all quarters of Rural America; however, tariffs and other trade restrictions are important considerations for U.S.…