The U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. issued a ruling that partially denied the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit over the sale of “The Other White Meat” trademarks. The National Pork Producers Council sold “The Other White Meat” trademarks to the National Pork Board in 2006. NPPC President Ken Maschoff says they are conducting a thorough review of the decision and looking at all their options. “We are disappointed that the court partially denied the USDA motion to dismiss this frivolous lawsuit, one that was never based on a legitimate legal challenge to the sale.” He says the suit was brought by an anti-meat activist group intent on eliminating meat consumption and harming the beef industry that employs thousands of Americans and feeds billions around the world. Maschoff adds, “Regardless of the final outcome in this case, we are well positioned to continue fighting for the livelihood of farmers and others in rural America.” The USDA argued in court that the lawsuit, filed by the Humane Society of the U.S. and two other parties, lacked merit, was barred by the statute-of-limitations, and the plaintiffs failed to show how they were harmed by the sale of the trademarks from NPPC to the Pork Board. HSUS claims that the trademarks were sold for an inflated price.

At last week’s Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released its policy priorities for 2018. The priorities center around five categories, including the 2018 Farm Bill, Trade and Market Access, Regulatory Reform, Antimicrobial Use, and Fake Meat. NCBA will be working to make sure the new farm bill includes funding for a Foot and Mouth vaccine bank. They also want to protect programs like EQIP and prevent market-disrupting policy like COOL. The regulatory-reform efforts will focus on finding a permanent solution to an electronic logging devices mandate, modernizing the Endangered Species Act, and replacing the 2015 Waters of the U.S. Rule. One of the newer priorities involves protecting the industry and consumers from fake meat and false labeling on products that don’t contain real beef. “With tax reform, regulatory rollbacks, and new access to the Chines market, we had some big victories in Washington last year,” says incoming NCBA President Kevin Kester of California, “but now is not the time to take a break. 2018 is going to see a mix of new and familiar challenges.”

Jeff Flake, Senate Republican from Arizona, has lifted his hold on the nomination of Gregg Doud as chief agriculture negotiator.

Flake had placed his hold on the President Trump nominee because he was upset about a Trump proposal in the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The proposal would have allowed Florida tomato producers to use U.S. trade remedy laws to counter surges in Mexican produce imports.

The Hagstrom Report says Flake had secured commitments on NAFTA-related trade priorities from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch. Flake said Hatch is committed to working with him on NAFTA provisions that benefit all American producers. Lighthizer also committed to meet with Arizona stakeholders who rely on NAFTA and would have been hurt by the proposed provision. Flake says, “Given the importance of U.S. agriculture and what’s at stake for them in the NAFTA negotiations, I’m pleased this nomination can move forward.” Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts says he is pleased that assurances have been given and the path for Gregg Doud to be confirmed as the chief agriculture negotiator has finally been cleared.

Although beef production is expected to increase to 27.5 billion pounds during 2018, CattleFax says current consumer demand is expected to remain good and potentially increase. Moderating prices. At the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, CattleFax celebrated its 50th anniversary with the CattlFax Outlook Session. Analyst Kevin Good told the audience U.S. beef cow inventory increased 2.8 million head in four years, and an additional 200,000-400,000 head are expected to be added to the herd over the next few years. Good said there are growing supplies of protein coming to market during the year ahead, including large supplies of competing proteins, which will weigh on all beef prices. However, “demand is robust on all fronts,” according to Good, who says retail demand is increasing and beef is being featured more in the consumer markets. Input costs are expected to remain manageable, with grain prices expected to remain steady. CattleFax analysts predict fed cattle prices lower than prior year levels, averaging $115 per hundredweight.

State agriculture officials are questioning the Trump Administration on the promise of creating new bilateral trade deals. During a meeting in Washington, D.C. this week, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members commented on the lack of new bilateral agreements, as promised by the administration a year ago. Trump promised bilateral agreements as he withdrew the U.S. from the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership. Montana Agriculture Department Director Ben Thomas says: “We haven’t really seen any substance behind that,” according to Politico. The Democrat also mentioned Trump’s comments regarding rejoining the TPP, if the deal “got substantially better.” Thomas encouraged the organization to start thinking about what those terms may be. TPP was recently revived by the 11 other countries involved in the pact that are planning to sign an amended version in March.

Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico is urging Congress to “step up” and tell President Trump that there is widespread support for the North American Free Trade Agreement modernization effort, but not an exit from the trade deal. The Democrat says Trump “cannot unilaterally repeal” trade laws regarding NAFTA, “even if he can issue unilateral statements” regarding NAFTA participation, according to Politico. The comments came during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing earlier this week. Udall says the withdraw threat is “a tactic doomed to fail,” and adds that, if carried through, “our economy and border will suffer great damage.” The President also received a letter from high ranking Senate Republicans before his State of the Union Address earlier this week, highlighting the economic benefits of the deal, particularly for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. The group, led by Colorado Republican Cory Gardner, says modernizing the deal would be “the next step to advance the economy.” Senate Agriculture Chair Pat Roberts also signed the letter, along with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and others.

Angus Genetics, Inc. announced the release of two new foot score research EPDs, the first of its kind in the U.S. for beef cattle. The American Angus Association has been collecting foot scores since 2015, with approximately 12,000 data points sent in. Members have reported two scores for claw set and foot angle. The pair of scores are based on a scale from one to nine, with five being ideal for both traits. AGI Director of Genetic Research Stephen Miller says the collaboration with membership in collecting foot scores allowed steady advancement toward a foot score research EPD. “Angus breeders have completed a tremendous amount of data reporting in such a short period of time; this is truly a testament to their commitment toward genetic progress,” Miller said. “We are absolutely thrilled to begin the process of rolling this breakthrough out to the membership.”

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC that the North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations are “far from being completed.” While noting that progress was made on easier provisions, he says “very little has been done on the hard issues,” including automotive trade and agriculture. Ross says President Trump could still choose to withdrawal from the agreement, saying a final renegotiated deal “will either be 100 percent or zero percent” acceptable. However, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (true-doh), in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp Wednesday said: “I don’t think the president is going to be cancelling it,” saying it would be “obviously bad,” if he did. The next series of talks are to begin February 26th in Mexico City. Meanwhile, there’s speculation that the bid to salvage the free-trade pact will continue beyond an end of March deadline, which was set to avoid Mexico’s presidential race.