Beijing | Singapore | Reuters – China proposed retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods ranging from liquefied natural gas (LNG) to some aircraft on Friday, as a senior Chinese diplomat cast doubt on prospects of talks with Washington to solve their bitter trade conflict. The Trump administration tightened pressure for trade concessions from […] Read more
China plans tariffs on $60 bln of U.S. goods in latest trade salvo
U.S. says farmers could get cash aid by Oct. but will not be made whole
Buenos Aires | Reuters – U.S. farmers could receive cash payments from a planned $12 billion aid package as soon as late September, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told Reuters on July 28, warning that the program will not make tariff-hit farmers whole. Perdue said in an interview on the sidelines of the G20 meeting […] Read more
While U.S. soybean growers fret, canola keeps shining
China has stopped buying American soybeans, while canola trade is comfortably boring
Reading Time: 4 minutes A potential U.S.-China trade war has American soybean growers anxiously watching the horizon, but it looks like smooth sailing for canola markets. “Canola is a high-quality oil that processors would use more of if they could get their hands on it. This does encourage more growth and also the increase of crush capacity we’ve seen […] Read more
Farmers wonder what’s next from mercurial president
The threat of a trade war has been pushed off the front pages, but continues to roil the farm sector
Reading Time: < 1 minute The phrase ‘that’s so last week’ is supposed to be ironic, but it’s an apt description for the ongoing whirlwind of trade measures coming out of the Oval Office. Since ordering tariffs of 25 per cent on US$50 billion worth of Chinese goods in early April, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered more tariffs on […] Read more
VIEW FROM THE NORTH: Small pond, big ripples
There could be some benefits in some areas, but the downsides are many and could seriously disrupt markets
Reading Time: 3 minutes China’s tariffs on American pork and soybeans will have impacts here, although how exactly is an open question. “It affects our producers because our hog prices are set off of the U.S. market,” said provincial pork specialist Ron Gietz after their imposition earlier this month. The tariffs sent American prices plunging, with Canadian prices following […] Read more
VIEW FROM THE SOUTH: Bet on China goes bad
Chinese buying prompted U.S. hog and soybean farmers to ramp up production that’s now looking for a home
Reading Time: 3 minutes Representatives from the largest pork-exporting states in the U.S. happened to find themselves at a Manitoba pork meeting days after China announced it was slapping tariffs on U.S. pork. They were as confused, and worried, as everyone else about what was coming next. “The marketplace is obviously reacting, but it’s important for us to take […] Read more
Steel tariffs could rebound on farmers here
It’s not clear what impact tariffs will have on farm equipment but any increase will likely be passed on
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s unclear if the new steel tariff proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump could be bad news for Canadian producers when it comes time to buy new farm equipment. If the tariffs are imposed, U.S. manufacturing companies would pay 25 per cent more for imported steel and 10 per cent more for imported aluminum, unless […] Read more
Adapt to the new world order, says Stephen Harper
Globalization foes are just getting started, but free traders can thrive if they adapt
Reading Time: 4 minutes He was enthusiastically welcomed as the prime minister who scrapped the wheat board, earning a standing ovation before the first word of his keynote address. But Stephen Harper had his eyes on an even bigger farm issue when he spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of nearly all of FarmTech’s 2,000 attendees. In a sweeping political […] Read more
TPP countries agree to keep trade deal alive, much work remains
Vietnam | Reuters – Members of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreed to continue working on the proposed trade deal despite early Canadian resistance in talks that had raised new doubts about its survival, officials said. According to a draft of the final statement seen by Reuters and due to be released on Saturday in […] Read more
Don’t write NAFTA’s obituary just yet
‘Absurd’ demands have heightened fears that President Trump aims to kill the trade pact, but experts say that’s premature
Reading Time: 4 minutes Stay calm and keep negotiating’ seems to be the mantra of Canadian farm groups even as a growing number of experts warn NAFTA may be doomed. U.S. negotiators dropped a series of bombshells in the fourth round of talks on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement — demands that Canada and Mexico had said […] Read more
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