Not another Weiner story: this time it’s homegrown apples A Wall Street Journal story that the US Department of Agriculture found residues of 48 different pesticides in a recent sampling of apples bruises the reputation (and possibly sales) of America’s second most...
Not a Party
Countries left out of FTAs lose out on trade Proponents of the free trade agreements awaiting Congressional approval often argue their case by pointing to the boost FTAs will give to US exports. So, for instance, the US Department of Agriculture projects the US-Panama...
Trade Beef
US cattleman urges action on FTAs as competitors vie for overseas markets The US agricultural sector pressed its case for ratification of pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea before the US House of Representatives Committee on...
Chile Lets in US Beef
US Trade Rep reports success in lowering trade barriers Just in time for the second annual issue of the US Trade Representative’s reports on efforts to lower barriers to US exports, Chile agreed to end its ban on US beef and beef products, imposed in 2003 after a US...
Biofueled Ag Trade
USDA 10-year agricultural projections concede major role to ethanol and biodiesel The US Department of Agriculture just released its long-term forecast for the farm sector. USDA Agricultural Projections for 2011-20 cover sector indicators, commodities, and trade. Key...
From the Dregs, Export Success
Biofuel byproduct goes to market as a livestock feed Blogging about the first the U.S. Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission to Peru and Ecuador earlier this month, Michael Scuse of the U.S. Department of Agriculture tells of visiting a Peruvian feed mill and...
Type Casting?
Corn ethanol is cast as a culprit in rising food prices (again) A Financial Times report from the Commodity Markets Council annual meeting (this week in Palm Beach) notes that Dodd-Frank financial system reforms top the list of worries for the commodities futures...
Aiming High
The NEI report to the president recommends a program to double exports The White House has released a report on the National Export Initiative (NEI) nine months into the five-year goal of doubling U.S. exports set by the president in his state-of-the-union address in...
Sugar Rush
A U.S. federal court ruling is a global market changer Global sugar supplies were already tightening because of the Russian drought, Pakistan’s floods, and weather delays at the ports of top exporter Brazil, when a potentially huge hit to U.S. stocks emerged from the...
Fresh Outlook
U.S. imports will include more fresh veggies and, especially, fruit The U.S. Department of Agriculture current Long-Term Projection foresees U.S. agricultural import values rising to US$106 billion in fiscal year 2019, compared with US$79.3 billion in 2008. Strong...