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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Tom Vilsack will be back in very familiar surroundings today after winning easy Senate confirmation as agriculture secretary. He is expected to be sworn in today.
China is determined to grow more self-sufficient, but the country is also widely expected to remain a growing importer of meat and grains for years to come as the Chinese economy and demand grows, outstripping production capacity, according to economists and new government forecasts.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to consider the nomination of Katherine Tai to be President Joe Biden’s U.S. Trade Representative and point person on the future of trade relations with China.
New forecasts for strong production, uncertain demand, high stocks, weaker prices and higher feed costs paint an “unsettled” outlook for the U.S. dairy sector in 2021, according to a new USDA report.
Former Sen. Bob Dole, who is 97, starts treatment on Monday for stage four lung cancer. “While I certainly have some hurdles ahead. I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own,” Dole said in a statement he posted Thursday.
The Department of Agriculture expects U.S. farm exports to hit a record $157 billion for fiscal 2021, an increase of $21 billion over the year before, as the global economy recovers and China increases its already strong demand for U.S. corn, soybeans and meat.
USDA’s 97th annual Ag Outlook Forum kicks off this morning, and for the first time the meeting will be held online. USDA’s new chief economist, Seth Meyer will provide the department’s annual forecast for crop and livestock production this year.
There are new signs of division on the Senate Agriculture Committee when it comes to climate change. The committee’s top Republican, John Boozman, told members of the National Cotton Council Thursday that funding to address climate change could come out of existing farm bill programs.
The new chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Georgia Rep. David Scott, passed his first test as Democrats stuck together Wednesday night to advance their piece of a sweeping $1.9 trillion stimulus package.
There were high hopes after the phase one agreement was implemented last February that China would finally overhaul its opaque and sluggish approval process for new agricultural biotech traits, but that optimism has mostly turned to disappointment a year later.
