A USDA trade mission is in India this week trying to make inroads into the giant economy for U.S. food and ag products.
Alexis Taylor, USDA’s undersecretary for trade and foreign and agricultural affairs, is leading the delegation that includes representative of 47 businesses and farm groups. Representatives from 11 state agriculture departments also are on the trip.
“As the world’s most-populous country and fifth-largest economy, India is primed for continued growth as a top destination for U.S. food and agriculture products,” Taylor says in a statement. “With a growing middle class that’s expected to exceed 660 million by 2030, India presents a strong consumer-oriented market where exports from American agribusinesses and producers can flourish.”
Taylor will be talking to U.S. reporters from India later in the week.
By the way: House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson is joining Deputy Ag Secretary Xochtil Torres Small in western Pennsylvania today. They’ll attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a hospital project that got a $21 million from USDA Rural Development.
Torres Small is subbing for Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was originally scheduled to go to Erie. USDA cited a scheduling change for the switch.
‘The Great Tomato Challenge’ scores big in Sacramento
We usually like to cover the news, not make it. However, when it involves helping people grow their own food for a good cause, why not? Agri-Pulse, in partnership with California State Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Melissa Hurtado, launched a project in Sacramento on Monday: “The Great Tomato Challenge: Grow Your Own, Feed the Needy,” where we gave away 26 tomato plants to California legislators and their staff members. Even Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas plans to get in on the competition.
California State Senator Melissa Hurtado picked out her tomato plant as part of the “Great Tomato Challenge” alongside Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant. The plants were provided by Bayer Vegetable Seeds. California Women for Agriculture and the California Tomato Growers Association supported the event.“Earth Day is a great way to celebrate agriculture and encourage more people to grow their own food,” said Editor Sara Wyant. “But as a gardener myself, I know it’s not always simple or easy.”
We plan to follow our contestants throughout their tomato growing journey on social media and then make a $1,000 donation to the Food Bank on behalf of the winner, who will be announced at our June 4 Food and Ag Policy Issues Summit in Sacramento.
Court of International Trade sends tomato antidumping investigation back to Commerce
Speaking of tomatoes, a Court of International Trade decision involving alleged tomato dumping by Mexican producers will serve to delay any relief for American producers, according to the Florida Tomato Exchange.
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The court remanded to the Commerce Department an antidumping investigation that had been suspended in 2019 when an agreement was reached between Commerce and Mexican producers/exporters of fresh tomatoes to the U.S.
The court ruled last week that Commerce needs to go back and use data from 1995 and 1996, when the investigation started. Its new determination must be prepared by Aug. 16
Michael Schadler, executive vice president of the exchange, said no matter what data are used, “the record is clear: Mexican tomatoes have been consistently dumped in the U.S. market over the last 30 years. The record is also clear that none of the suspension agreements have worked.”
U.S. tomato growers want to see the 2019 suspension agreement terminated. “The court’s decision means that American tomato farmers may have to wait even longer for U.S. trade laws to stop injurious Mexican dumping,” Schadler said.
Labor remediation plan targets guac manufacturer, union in Mexico
Mexico must ensure that union representatives have access to a guacamole manufacturing company’s facilities, under a remediation plan agreed to by the Mexican government and the union.
The U.S. Trade Representative announced the plan Monday. A committee set up under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement had found in February that RV Fresh had denied union leadership access to the facilities after a vote in favor of union representation.
The case is the first time the U.S. has used the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism under the USMCA in the food manufacturing sector.
“It is also the first time both the United States and Mexico have identified violations related to the conduct of the petitioning union,” USTR said. The remediation plan requires that Mexico ensure the union “refrain from committing acts of extortion or obtaining gifts from RV Fresh.”
APHIS releases genetic sequences for H5N1
The Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Sunday published 239 genetic sequences from the H5N1 virus in poultry, wild birds, and dairy cattle.
The agency said it normally makes sequencing data available on the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza (GISAID) website, but decided to also publish the data to a National Institutes of Health web page "in the interest of public transparency and ensuring the scientific community has access to this information as quickly as possible to encourage disease research and development to benefit the U.S. dairy industry.”
It said it would continue making genetic sequence data available “on a rolling basis."
Farm groups plan protests to push for checkoff reform in farm bill
Farm organizations seeking checkoff program reform plan to hold a series of protests across the country in coming weeks as Congress continues to work on the farm bill.
Through the “Enough is Enough Tour” running May 14 to June 4 the 16 groups plan to highlight issues in checkoff programs, said Farm Action Fund, which is organizing the tour.
Checkoff programs require farmers and ranchers to pay a fee on their harvest to support the research and marketing of certain commodities. Farm Action Fund and the other groups contend checkoff dollars are often funneled to lobbying groups representing the largest agriculture industry groups rather than the bulk of American producers.
Other groups supporting the tour include the Organization for Competitive Markets, R-CALF USA, the Western Organization of Resource Councils, and several state Farmers Unions.
