Trade

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China will follow through with the billions of dollars in additional ag purchases that it promised to make as part of the “phase one” trade pact with the U.S., but the coronavirus outbreak may delay the sales, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters Thursday.

Farmers are expected to produce record amounts of meat, milk and major crops this year as the agriculture economy rebounds from 2019’s trade and weather disruptions, but exports are forecast to rise relatively modestly in coming months despite the new trade deal with China, USDA says.

President Donald Trump says he wants a trade agreement with India, but suggested Tuesday that a partial pact will come first, followed by a more comprehensive deal later this year or after the election.

The Trump administration continues to argue that it can use the threat of auto tariffs as a tool in negotiating trade agreements, but House Democrats are demanding that the Commerce Department report that supposedly justifies the threat be released publicly.

Four Democratic presidential candidates used a first-of-its kind town hall dedicated to America's infrastructure needs to push ambitious plans to expand rural broadband and fix the nation's transportation systems, including waterways, while also addressing climate change.

Several shipments of U.S. chicken on their way to China are being diverted to South Korea and Hong Kong because of the disruption at Chinese ports as the country tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Agri-Pulse has learned.

The top regulator for the nation’s Farm Credit banks says while agricultural loan quality has deteriorated somewhat, it's too early to know whether producers will need additional Market Facilitation Program payments for 2020.

The Agriculture Department’s inspector general is undertaking an extended investigation of the administration’s trade assistance programs, starting with whether USDA had the proper legal authority to make direct payments to farmers.

A proposed U.S.-Kenya pact is expected to create new markets for U.S. farm commodities and equipment and promises to pave the way for new trade standards across sub-Saharan Africa.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association hopes to address some of the industry’s longest-running issues in 2020, goals that will likely need the cooperation of an administration that is up for reelection in November.