The Republican National Convention is in the books. Republicans are leaving Milwaukee far more unified and optimistic than they were the first time Donald Trump was nominated for president, in Cleveland in 2016.
During his 1½-hour acceptance speech Thursday night, the former president didn’t mention agriculture directly, but he touched on issues important to the sector.
He repeatedly pledged to end illegal immigration, promising to launch the “largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” He promised to protect U.S. workers from unfair trade, saying he would slap stiff tariffs onto foreign autos specifically.
Trump also pledged to end the “Green New Scam,” a reference to President Joe Biden’s clean energy policies, and “end the electric vehicle mandate on Day One.”
Read our full report on the speech at Agri-Pulse.com
Pressure mounts on Biden heading into weekend
Biden is reportedly near a decision about dropping his re-election bid as more Democratic lawmakers call for him to step aside. Montana Sen. Jon Tester and California Rep. Jim Costa both issued statements Thursday urging the president to drop out of the race.
“While I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term,” said Tester, who is in a very difficult re-election race. Costa is a senior member of the House Ag Committee.
Keep in mind: Thursday night, White House spokesman Andrew Bates denied that Biden would be making an announcement in coming days.
Kip Tom, who’s co-leading the Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Coalition, caught up with vice presidential nominee JD Vance in Milwaukee. Tom tweeted this photo with the caption: We will Make Agriculture Great Again!Trump tariff plan will face wary lawmakers
Trump’s plan to impose across-the-board tariffs on imported goods is likely to face pushback from some farm-state lawmakers. Trump has even floated the idea of using tariffs to make up for revenue lost from new taxes.
A senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee interviewed on the sidelines of the GOP convention, Nebraska Rep. Adrian Smith, stopped short of saying he opposed that idea. But he said, “Theoretically, if they [tariffs] are effective they are a diminishing source of revenue. I think we want to be cautious. You know, I've always said that tariffs are a tool in the toolbox. … We need to be very thoughtful as we move forward and have a good strategic plan.”
Senate GOP Whip John Thune, who’s running to replace Mitch McConnell as GOP leader, said at a Politico event in Milwaukee that tariffs should be targeted only at countries that are engaging in unfair trade practices. “I’m not a big fan of tariffs, and I’ve made it clear during the last Trump administration,” he said.
NCGA sets new policy positions
A federal tax credit should be available “for the verifiable production of low-carbon commodities,” the National Corn Growers Association says in its latest collection of position and policy statements, approved Thursday at the group’s Corn Congress in Washington
NCGA delegates also support “a climate-smart commodity being clearly defined with an industry-approved, science-based process. We support a transparent market that gives farmers access into how an asset value was determined and opportunities to market that asset in a way most impactful to their own farm.”
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Those were among a handful of additions to the 65-page book, which was originally approved at Commodity Classic in Houston in March. Another change, which like the others was adopted by voice vote, opposes domestic incentives “favoring foreign competitor feedstocks due to restrictions placed upon U.S. farmers.”
By the way: The corn growers heard from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Doug McKalip, who said the U.S. is pushing Brazil to drop its 18% tariff on U.S. ethanol, a major bone of contention for NCGA.
“We are actively engaged in proposals that go back and forth,” McKalip said without going into detail because of the active negotiations. “This is a very, very serious discussion.”
Ag lenders urge lawmakers to bolster farm bill sugar provisions
Seventy-one agricultural lenders told House and Senate Ag committee leaders in a letter Thursday they “strenuously oppose any weakening of the current Farm Bill safety net” for sugar producers, who they warn face falling prices, rising interest rates and high input costs.
Input prices inflated by supply chain bottlenecks, the Russia-Ukraine war, increasing interest rates and climate change are challenging sugar producers’ profits and have even driven some from the business entirely, the groups say.
The letter says an “effective safety net is essential when lenders consider extending operating loans to farmers.” The signers include CoBank, as well as a number of local banks and farm credit institutions from sugar-growing states.
Take note: The House Ag Committee’s farm bill would provide an historically sharp increase in the marketing loan rates that serve as a floor under domestic sugar prices.
Record-breaking heat, wildfire risk expected in the West this weekend
Growers and residents of the Pacific Northwest should brace for a return to record-breaking heat starting this weekend, raising the risk of wildfires in the region.
Temperatures are expected to increase 10 to 20 degrees above historical averages this weekend in parts of the interior Northwest, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. These will continue to put additional pressure and demand on electricity as more residents turn to air conditioners, fans and cooling equipment.
“The heat is not going anywhere in the intermountain west or much of California,” said Bernie Rayno, chief on-air meteorologist for AccuWeather. “It’s been an incredibly hot summer, and it’s far from over.”
There’s also a high risk for wildfires this weekend in parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Wyoming due to the potential for dry storms. Over 50 large wildfires are already burning in the country this week, and the rising temperatures with light winds could spread smoke and reduce air quality as well.
Take note: Last week, a foodservice company warned customers that some crops like lettuce may have quality or quantity issues due to the heat spike on the West Coast.
Rebekah Alvey, Philip Brasher and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak
