Articles Tagged with ''usda''

China is technically open to U.S. rice now – the Chinese ban was lifted Friday - but trade can’t begin flowing yet thanks to bureaucratic steps that remain unfinished, according to U.S. industry officials.

The Agriculture Department is closing county Farm Service Agency offices after Friday and will suspend publication of some new reports and take others offline with the partial government shutdown set to drag into the new year.

The government shutdown is now in effect, but that doesn’t mean USDA officials aren’t still keeping the nation’s meat supply safe and doing many of the jobs that keeps agricultural commerce flowing. However, some farm payments may be delayed after the first week.

New disclosure requirements finalized by USDA for biotech foods will exempt products with inadvertent amounts of genetically ingredients as well as vegetable oils, sugar and other foods where the DNA of genetically engineered crops can’t be detected.

The Trump administration is moving to make it much harder for states and localities to get waivers from the work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for able-bodied adults without dependents.

The Department of Agriculture announced this morning export sales of 1.19 million tons of U.S. soybeans to China, the third such announcement in the past seven days after months of virtually no trade amid U.S. and Chinese trade hostilities.

President Donald Trump announced today approval for billions of dollars in assistance payments for farmers who have been hurt by foreign tariffs during U.S. trade battles with China, Mexico, Canada and others.

The USDA announced Friday a 300,000 metric ton sale of U.S. soybeans to Chinese buyers, following a Thursday purchase announcement of 1.13 million tons.

Farms and businesses suffering from insufficient internet connectivity could get some help from a grant and loan program that USDA will launch in the new year with higher service requirements than the department originally proposed.