The National Corn Growers Association is stepping up to support the education of U.S. beef producers in states around the country. The assistance is being provided through a grant program offered to state affiliates of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association that conduct Cattlemen’s Education Series events. The Cattlemen’s Education Series is a collaborative effort to advance grassroots education on topics that improve cattle production efficiency, profitability and sustainability. The partnership builds on other successful programs currently in NCBA’s Producer Education portfolio, such as Stockmanship & Stewardship, Cattlemen’s College and the Cattlemen’s Webinar Series. The Cattlemen’s Education Series provides grants for state affiliates to host timely and relevant education sessions for their local members. NCBA state affiliates will be eligible to apply for grants ranging in value from $2,000 to $4,000, depending on a variety of factors, including event participation and membership numbers. Topics eligible for grants will be developed as a partnership between NCBA and NCGA.

A group of Senators from the Midwest are urging President Donald Trump to cease Renewable Fuel Standard waivers for refiners. The waivers, intended for small, struggling refiners, has been reportedly issued to some of the nations largest, essentially letting them ‘off the hook’ for their biofuel blending responsibility. The Senators, including Iowa’s Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, along with Deb Fischer of Nebraska, John Thune of South Dakota, and Roy Blunt of Missouri, say the “hardship” waivers issued by the Environmental Protection Agency are being used in an “unprecedented manner.” The letter, which was issued the same day Trump was considering RFS proposed changes at the White House, urges the President to call on the EPA to cease the waivers “until the agency’s administration of the RFS can proceed in a more transparent and impartial manner.” Grassley charged last week that the EPA is “chipping away” at the RFS by allowing the hardship waivers to refiners, harming corn demand for U.S. farmers.

Trade officials from the U.S., Mexico and Canada are hopeful to reach a consensus on the North American Free Trade Agreement by early May. A trade negotiator from Mexico says “there’s a very high probability of reaching an agreement in principle,” within the next month, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trade leaders from each nation met in Washington, D.C. last week, seeking to step up negotiations. The timeline, outlined by Mexico, would allow the U.S. enough time to present the agreement to lawmakers following the November midterm elections. Some trade experts speculate that given the Trump administration is battling with China on trade, the administration appears to be in a hurry to wrap up the NAFTA talks. The talks continue this week. However, there still appears to be little movement on dairy trade issues between the U.S. and Canada, thus far.

FFA members from across the state will meet in Columbia, April 19-20, at the 90th Missouri FFA Convention to honor fellow members for outstanding achievements, conduct association business, elect new officers and participate in leadership workshops. According to Missouri FFA Executive Secretary Keith Dietzschold, the state association will present State FFA Degrees to 756 members who, as a result of their agricultural and leadership achievements, have qualified for the state’s highest FFA degree. Dietzschold also said Missouri has the largest number of American FFA Degree recipients of any state – 532 Missouri FFA members received the American FFA Degree in 2017 during the national convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in October. During the convention the State Star Farmer, the State Star in Agribusiness, the State Star in Placement and the State Star in Agriscience will be named. In addition, 620 FFA members will receive awards in 48 agricultural proficiency areas for development of their supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program. The proficiency areas are varied and include production, management and communications disciplines. In Missouri, SAE programs during the 2016-2017 school year generated more than $52 million in student income. FFA members will also participate in a number of organization program areas including speaking competitions and career development events such as agricultural sales, floriculture and livestock evaluation during the convention, as well as multiple other opportunities.

In a speech on Thursday, Politico says President Trump admitted publicly that his trade crackdown is causing U.S. farmers and ranchers to feel pain. He also says steps will be taken to address that reality. The president has directed Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue “to use his broad authority to implement a plan to protect our farmers and agricultural interests.” Perdue told Politico that he would use all of USDA’s authorities to ensure U.S. agricultural interests are protected. One day earlier, Perdue said the prospect of an extended trade war might require Congress to take some extraordinary measure in the next farm bill. The USDA can also utilize funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to stabilize and support farm income and prices. Producers have already been caught between China and the U.S. Beijing has already imposed tariffs on $3 billion worth of U.S. goods, including pork, fruit, nuts, and wine, in retaliation for American duties place on steel and aluminum coming into the country from all over the world, including China. The Chinese commerce ministry says it doesn’t want a trade war “but we aren’t afraid of fighting one.”

Randall Singer, PhD, will share his research findings on the potential impact on animal welfare resulting from no antibiotics ever policies at the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2018 Stakeholders Summit set for May 3-4 in Arlington, VA. Singer, along with a team of other experts including Dan Thomson, DVM, PhD, of Kansas State University and Jennifer Wishnie, DVM, of California Polytechnic State University are surveying veterinarians and farmers to identify the impact of “Raised Without Antibiotics” or “No Antibiotics Ever” production on farm animal welfare. Once complete, the resulting report will provide food companies with additional information about the tradeoffs and ramifications, in particular on animal welfare, as they consider potential policies. The research will be presented for the first time at the 2018 Summit. “With some food brands adopting policies restricting or eliminating the ability to use antibiotics to manage animal health, it is vital to understand any potential drawbacks to ensure both the animals and the sustainability of the food industry are not negatively impacted,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “We are excited to have this research shared for the very first time at Summit with all of our attendees.”

Growth Energy sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt condemning the recent decision to grant a small refinery waiver to one of the largest refiners in the USA. The decision allowed the refiner to not have to live up to the requirements for blending biofuels under the Renewable Fuels Standard. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says these actions are eroding the 15-billion-gallon target for ethanol blending in 2018. With no public declaration when waivers are granted, Skor says they only become aware of the decisions through news reports. As a result of these actions, she says hundreds of millions of gallons will not be blended into the nation’s fuel supply. The news gets even more worrisome as a Delaware court recently approved a settlement between bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions on the EPA. Skor says it’s another case of a refiner being let off the hook, and once again, that means millions of gallons of ethanol won’t be added to the nation’s fuel supply.

Growth Energy sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt condemning the decision to give a small refinery waiver to one of the largest refiners in the U.S. They are also demanding a moratorium on waivers being issued by the EPA. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says they want the EPA to immediately stop issuing waivers and end any considering any waiver applications in progress. “We want the agency to conduct a full, transparent public comment process to help assure all stakeholders that the new expansion of small refinery waivers is consistent with the goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard,” Skor says. “EPA appears to be operating under the cover of night to act as a judge, jury, and executioner to effectively reduce the overall demand for biofuels in this country absent any discourse.” Growth Energy says the decisions appear to be timed so they don’t require any discourse in the yearly Renewable Fuels Obligation rulemaking process. That only adds to the impression that the EPA “is pressing its thumb on the scale to grow oil industry profits.” Skor says secret handouts undermine the administration’s commitment to renewable fuels and represent a real threat to hard-pressed American farmers.