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Despite threatening a veto, President Trump signed into law a $1.3 trillion spending bill that addresses several agricultural priorities, including revisions to the Section 199A tax benefit and an exemption from farm-emissions reporting for the livestock industry.

President Donald Trump today signed off on a plan to punish China for years of stealing intellectual property by imposing about $60 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. The move came despite a growing chorus of warnings from Capitol Hill and farm groups that China will retaliate by taxing or blocking U.S. agricultural goods.

House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway said he is “going forward” with moving a new farm bill next month despite the refusal of Democrats to negotiate over provisions expanding work requirements and reworking eligibility rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill released Wednesday would exempt thousands of livestock and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) from having to report emissions of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.

Congressional leaders reached a last-minute agreement to put a rewrite of the new Section 199A tax benefit for farmer co-ops in an omnibus spending bill that lawmakers must pass this week, industry and congressional sources said.

The U.S. ag sector, already reeling from depressed prices, understands the White House’s desire to punish trade abuses by countries like China, but there is a growing fear that President Donald Trump’s aggressive tactics and rhetoric are threatening overseas markets, according to farm and trade officials speaking today at an Agri-Pulse forum.

Hundreds of ag stakeholders braved a Nor’easter Wednesday predicted to drop almost a half foot of snow in Washington to attend a summit on ag food and policy hosted by Agri-Pulse. Kicking off the event was Ray Starling, special assistant to President Trump for agriculture, who assured the audience that the White House position on ag trade was, "We are open for business."