U.S. floats talks after China strikes back in trade fight

President Donald Trump's administration said on Wednesday talks with Beijing could resolve an escalating U.S.-China trade fight after China retaliated against U.S. proposals to slap tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods by targeting key American imports with similar duties. Just 11 hours after the Trump administration proposed 25 percent tariffs on some 1,300 Chinese industrial, technology, transport and medical products, China responded with a list of similar duties on key American imports including soybeans, planes, cars, beef and chemicals.

American Farm Groups Plead With Trump to Back Off China Trade Conflict

Farm groups pleaded with the Trump administration to back away from a trade conflict with China that will hit hard in states that are key components of the president's political base and where there are pivotal elections in November. Donald Trump 's plan to slap tariffs on 1,333 of the country's products -- from semiconductors to lithium batteries -- by announcing duties on on a variety of agriculture products including soybeans, the second-most-valuable U.S. crop.

China Announces 25% Tariff On U.S. Soybeans, Other Ag Products

BREAKING: CHINA ANNOUNCES 25% TARIFF ON U.S. SOYBEANS, OTHER AG PRODUCTS Apr. 4, 2018 Oklahoma Farm Radio Network reports: Most U.S. Ag products that are exported to China may soon have a twenty five percent levy added to their imported prices- as farmers and ranchers are now sitting right in the middle- fully exposed- between two economic heavyweights as they are charging full speed towards a very nasty trade war. On Tuesday- as part of the U.S. response to China's unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of U.S. technology and intellectual property, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published a proposed list of products imported from China that could be subject to additional tariffs- $50 Billion worth.

Dairy program features improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency is encouraging dairy producers to consider enrolling in the new and improved Margin Protection Program for Dairy. In a statement released earlier this week, the FSA said the program will provide better protections for dairy producers from shifting milk and feed prices.

Urban gardens need to be given more consideration

With a greater frequency of extreme weather events occurring around the world, Secure Your Food program director Derek Melting Tallow says it is time for cities like Lethbridge to begin thinking about emergency management in a different way. "Extreme weather events are occurring at such a frequency and intensity that it is affecting food production worldwide," he says.

Perdue: On the road again, to visit Mastronardi in Michigan

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, , visits with Lef Farms President Henry Huntington at the greenhouse company in Loudon, N.H., in early September during a "Back to Our Roots" RV tour. Perdue and USDA staff are again traveling in an RV this week, with plans to visit Mastronardi Produce in Coldwater, Mich.

Companies Very Positive About USDA Deregulating Plant Development Technology

COMPANIES VERY POSITIVE ABOUT USDA DEREGULATING PLANT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY Apr. 2, 2018 Wired.com reports: FOR YEARS NOW, the US Department of Agriculture has been flirting with the latest and greatest DNA manipulation technologies. Since 2016, it has given free passes to at least a dozen gene-edited crops, ruling that they fall outside its regulatory purview.

USDA recalls thousands of pounds of ‘high-risk’ beef

PFP Enterprises is recalling approximately 7,146 pounds of raw beef products that were produced and packaged without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Saturday. The frozen and fresh beef items were produced on March 23-24, 2018.

Soybean acres to exceed corn for the first time in 35 years

Local news, prep sports, Chicago sports, local and regional entertainment, business, home and lifestyle, food, classified and more! News you use every day! Daily, Daily including the e-Edition or e-Edition only. Choose your news! Select the text alerts you want to receive: breaking news, prep sports scores, school closings, weather, and more.

Sam’s Club Chicken Recalled After Plastic Pieces Found in Meat

If you're a frequent Sam's Club shopper, you might want to check your pantry in light of a massive recall just announced by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service . Nearly 100,000 pounds of canned chicken breast have been contaminated with large pieces of plastic, and the company who makes the product for Sam's Club is issuing a warning after customers found the nasty surprise in their meals.

Secretary of Agriculture Perdue Issues USDA Statement on Plant Breeding Innovation

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued a statement providing clarification on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's oversight of plants produced through innovative new breeding techniques which include techniques called genome editing. Under its biotechnology regulations, USDA does not regulate or have any plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests.

Congress pours money into fight against Louisiana’s wetland pest

The fight against an insect invasion that's killing coastal wetlands is receiving long sought-after help from the federal government. Congress plans to contribute $500,000 to help control or eradicate the tiny Asian insect, known as a scale, that's been destroying roseau cane, a sturdy, erosion-resistant reed that holds much of the lower Mississippi River Delta together.

Hemp gains powerful ally to free it from marijuana ties

In this Aug. 13, 2015, file photo, hemp plants tower above researchers who tend to them at a research farm in Lexington, Ky. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday, March 26, 2018, he wants to bring hemp production back into the mainstream by removing it from the controlled substances list that now associates it with marijuana, its illicit cousin.

Deutz wins trip to Washington, D.C. for ag visit

Marshall farmer Allen Deutz took a pivot in his farming operation when he switched from dairy to beef cattle and went back to college for economics at South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. As a student, he earned a trip to Washington, D.C. Feb. 22-23. "I also work at SDSU part-time as a graduate research assistant for Dr. Deepthi Kolady.