We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Terms and Cookie Policy
Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack personally warned Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador against banning genetically modified corn and later said the Biden administration expects to receive a proposal soon from Mexico on how to “engage in dialogue assuring the safety of biotechnology products.”
The U.S. corn sector has been adamant that it cannot easily or quickly shift to producing non-GMO corn to comply with an upcoming Mexican ban, but Brazilian and Argentine farmers are also telling Mexico that it’s mistaken if it thinks it can rely on them to make up for the coming loss of U.S. supplies.
In today's WASDE report, USDA increased production and offset some of those gains with higher domestic use. However, USDA did not lower export expectations which may be coming in the months ahead.
The inspection of grain ships entering and leaving the Black Sea is set to resume Thursday now that Russia has resumed participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and that is allowing the United Nations to focus on preventing the Nov. 19 expiration of the agreement.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Friday dismissed a dire forecast of Mexico slashing corn imports from the U.S. because of a scheduled Mexican ban on genetically modified corn.
Mexico has not publicly ruled on genetically modified plant traits in the four years since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took power, but the country’s health regulator Cofepris has been quietly approving and rejecting traits with an apparent bias against glyphosate-resistant corn seeds, according to U.S. government and industry sources.
Some farm groups are calling on Congress to allow farmers to reallocate the base acreage they have enrolled in farm programs, a move that could allow growers to increase their potential government payments.
Farmers across the country are largely ahead of schedule at getting their crops out of the field as fall and its chillier temperatures descent on farm country.
The Department of Agriculture Wednesday lowered its estimates for soybean yields, production and exports for the 2022-23 marketing year while acknowledging that Brazil will likely have a much larger harvest early next year.