Trade

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In the eyes of the Trump administration, the new trade deal binding the U.S., Mexico and Canada is a model for future agreements, and nowhere is that more evident than in the pact's Agricultural Biotechnology section.

The biotech portion of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is just one example of several new ag provisions that were added during the overhaul of the North American Free Trade Agreement – NAFTA 2.0 as some are calling it - over the past year of negotiations.

Trade policy uncertainty following U.S. imposition of import tariffs and retaliation by China and other trading partners has forced International Monetary Fund economists to adopt a more pessimistic outlook for growth in the global economy.

The average farmer probably won’t notice anytime soon that the 2014 farm bill has expired, but producers who try to sign up for some conservation programs could be turned away, and some commodity groups will have to go without some trade promotion funding on which they have counted.

A nondescript press release could prove to be a starting point for transformational change in how beef cattle are tracked through the United States, or it could serve as another instance where the status quo proved too difficult to change.

West Coast citrus growers must deal with economic, regulatory and trade challenges even as they rapidly take over much of Florida's historic production.