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Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is set to sign a landmark, partial trade deal in Washington this week that could be crucial to reviving a farm economy that has been dependent on an infusion of government payments to offset the damage from the U.S.-China trade war.

Corn production increases offset by harvested acre reductions provided a relatively neutral World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report Friday giving grain traders a sense of relief.

The Department of Agriculture is proposing new criteria to determine if a livestock or poultry producer is receiving unfair treatment from a packer or integrator. 

The Trump administration is proposing to speed up the environmental reviews that are required on everything from new pipelines to grazing permits under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Senate is moving ahead with the procedures needed to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement despite uncertainty over whether the impeachment process will bring the process to a halt.

Trade remains the top concern for American agriculture heading into 2020, with looming uncertainty about whether the Chinese will make promised increases in commodity purchases, and whether President Donald Trump will provide another round of trade assistance to U.S. producers. 

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is headed for easy approval on the Senate floor, but the uncertainty surrounding the impeachment process could mean farmers and ranchers will have to wait several more weeks for that final congressional vote.

It remains unclear if recent Chinese moves will translate into major gains for the biotech and farming sectors there and in the U.S.

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday easily approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement with a bipartisan 25-to-3 vote, potentially setting the trade pact up for a speedy floor vote.

Georgia’s newest member of the Senate, Kelly Loeffler, will have a spot on the Senate Agriculture Committee, taking the place of Georgia Sen. David Perdue, who shifted to another panel.