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Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue is leaving a week of meetings in Europe with a sense of optimism about a potential trade deal with the bloc of countries there, but familiar issues will need to be addressed if there is to be an agreement.

Hoping to win back rural voters this year, the leading Democratic presidential candidates are providing detailed proposals to shore up farm income ranging all the way from boosting commodity program rates to imposing New Deal-style supply controls.

It’s been less than a month since the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement kicked off on Jan. 1 and the outlook for U.S. beef and pork exports is already rosier.

The Democratic-controlled House is supporting a multi-state lawsuit aimed at blocking the Trump administration from making it harder for states to exempt able-bodied adults from work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement will take two major steps this week when President Donald Trump signs the U.S. implementing bill into law and Canada starts work on its companion legislation.

The Trump administration has released a replacement for the former “waters of the U.S.” rule that significantly reduces federal jurisdiction over streams and wetlands, triggering what almost certainly will be a series of protracted legal battles over the scope of the Clean Water Act.

China’s commitments to dramatically increase its purchases of U.S. commodities have raised new questions for farmers as they face decisions about which farm bill program to enroll in and pencil out their finances and risk management for the year.

Delegates overwhelmingly affirmed their support for MFP payments if the administration’s plans to dramatically increase trade don't go as planned and made several other changes to their policy book.

China will be huge for U.S. beef. That’s the conclusion of U.S. negotiators and the U.S. cattle industry, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get there and the Chinese will have to come through on major promises over the next two months that were made in the “phase one” deal that was signed last week in the White House.

Some small-farm backers and animal welfare advocates are pushing for tighter policing of checkoffs, but the self-help commodity promotion programs are popular with most farmers, so don't hold your breath expecting new mandates from Congress.