7 ag stories you might have missed this week - May 15, 2020
Trade with China, U.K. in spotlight, WASDE report released and sustainable fashion and regenerative ag partner.
Missed some ag news this week? Here's seven stories to catch you up.
1. President Trump said on Monday he is opposed to renegotiating the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal. The Global Times, which is published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, reported that unidentified advisers close to the talks have suggested that Chinese officials negotiate a new trade pact with the U.S. – Reuters
2. Domestic and global ending stocks for both 2019/20 and 2020/21 wheat production swelled in this month's World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released by USDA. Old crop corn and soybean stocks rose on COVID-19 demand destruction and export weakness. New crop U.S. soybeans ended on the lower end of analyst expectations. - Farm Futures
3. The United Kingdom is planning to cut tariffs on U.S. agricultural imports to advance progress on a free trade agreement. – Reuters
4. Across the state of Iowa, more than 80% of all land is owned mortgage-free, so don't expect an overwhelming need to sell land to cover mortgage payments or other cash flow in a tight or negative margin period. Second, government support will likely provide baseline support, so farmers won't be forced to part with land. – Wallaces Farmer
5. More Wisconsin farmers are seeking mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state's Farm Center has given out 91 vouchers for free mental health counseling from January to April. By comparison, the agency gave out 89 vouchers in total in 2019. – Wisconsin Public Radio.
6. University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Extension researchers share what they've learned about "planting green," which is the practice of planting corn or soybean directly into a growing cover crop. Nebraska Farmer
7. Regenerative ag is becoming a buzzword in the sustainable fashion sector. "Rather than just pollute less or do less harm, we can actually kind of revive the earth through the process of making clothes," said Eileen Fischer, an American clothing designer and founder of the women's clothing brand Eileen Fischer. In September, the first collection of dresses spun from cotton produced on a regenerative cotton farm in India will debut on the Christy Dawn website. – Vogue
And your bonus.
As packing plants have grown larger and farmers more specialized, the U.S. food system has lost resiliency, Michael Pollan argues in The New York Review of Books. Our food system is the product of political choices. Are we willing to address the vulnerabilities COVID-19 has exposed? – NYBooks
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