(ASA) High oleic soybeans have crossed their final regulatory hurdle, clearing the way for farmers to plant more acres of high oleic soybeans in 2018. Full global regulatory approval can help expand the market for high oleic soy and create opportunities to increase U.S. soybean value and competitiveness in the global marketplace. “Achieving high oleic global regulatory approval enables us to meet end-user needs with a product they want and increase the use of U.S. soybean oil,” says Lewis Bainbridge, United Soybean Board chair and farmer from Ethan, South Dakota. “We encourage farmers to talk with their seed representatives about high oleic soybean variety options for 2018 planting to help keep pace with growing demand for this high-functioning oil.”

(MOFB) MIssouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, Thursday launched “Digging In,” a weekly podcast that will highlight current news and developments affecting Missouri agriculture in state and national politics. The MFB legislative team will give insight into what is happening with legislation, regulations and the decision makers involved, and will analyze how those developments will affect rural Missouri and the state’s farmers and ranchers. Digging In will also feature interviews with newsmakers about current developments in agriculture and rural policy. This week’s episode is available for listeners on the iTunes App Store, SoundCloud and mofb.org.

President Donald Trump said again this week he “may” terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying such a move would yield the “best deal” in renegotiations. The president says many people “are going to be unhappy,” if he terminates the agreement, but counters that they “don’t realize how good it would be” if he did. But, just last week Trump said he would be “a little bit flexible” on the withdrawal threat. Agriculture and the auto industry is pressing the administration to not withdraw from the agreement, and the auto industry is even suggesting Trump back away from some of his demands. The comments from Trump come as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the president now understands the benefits of NAFTA for agriculture, according to Bloomberg. However, Perdue warns the president’s view on trade should not be confused with a softer approach to the negotiations.

A new coalition of agriculture groups is focusing on the importance of the North American Free Trade Agreement. More than 30 organizations across the agriculture sector announced the formation of Americans for Farmers and Families, noting that food and agriculture supports 43 million U.S. jobs and depends on trade with Canada and Mexico. The group was formed to “ensure” President Trump and Congressional leaders understand the “importance of preserving and modernizing” NAFTA to America’s agricultural economy. As part of the effort, the coalition will be launching an educational campaign to highlight the positive impact of NAFTA and lay the groundwork for an updated trade agreement that “preserves America’s strong economic standing for decades to come.” Coalition members include the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and many various commodity groups.

(NAFB) President Donald Trump has nominated just seven of the 13 Agriculture Department positions that require Senate confirmation. The Senate has confirmed just four nominations, being Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Deputy Secretary Steve Censky and Undersecretaries Ted McKinney and Greg Ibach. The undersecretary nomination of Bill Northey remains on hold by Senator Ted Cruz, and one Trump nomination, Sam Clovis, withdrew from the process. The Partnership for Public Service said that Trump has fallen behind his predecessors in filling top government posts. As of January 13th, less than 40 percent of the 626 Senate-confirmed appointments still had no nominee. Trump has nominated Stephen Vaden as general counsel for USDA and announced intent to nominate Ken Barbic as assistant secretary for congressional relations. Open nominated positions remaining at USDA oversee administration, civil rights, nutrition, food safety, natural resources, research and the chief financial officer post remains vacant, according to the Hagstrom Report.

(NAFB) An agriculture official from Canada says trying to determine the U.S. direction for the North American Free Trade Agreement is like “following a pinball.” Ron Bonnett, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture president, was attending when President Donald Trump spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention last week. Bonnett told an Ontario, Canada-based newspaper that he is still optimistic that NAFTA will be renegotiated, but says “It’s like following a pinball to figure out exactly where it’s going,” regarding the ever-changing positions taken by Trump. Reports from Canada last week suggested that the county was expecting Trump to withdraw from the agreement. But, at the same time, reports in the U.S. are suggesting Trump may be softening his position on NAFTA, and shifting away from the threats to withdraw. Further, the Canada farm organization reports seeing more pressure building in the U.S. from agriculture and other industries to keep and modernize the agreement. Canada will host the sixth and potentially make-or-break round of NAFTA talks later this month in Montreal.

(MODA) The State of Missouri’s FY18 budget signed by Gov. Eric Greitens made available $660,000 to fund a dairy risk management program created by the Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act. The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA), housed within the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will begin accepting applications for the program in early 2018. “I applaud Gov. Greitens for making this a priority and supporting the Missouri dairy industry, which employs 23,000 Missourians and generates an estimated $7.5 billion in economic output annually,” said Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn. “The dairy industry worked for this for several years, and MASBDA is ready to go to work for them.” The Margin Insurance Premium Assistance program was established by the Missouri General Assembly to assist Missouri dairy farmers with the cost of their participation in the federal margin protection program. Eligible dairy farmers may be reimbursed up to 70 percent of their federal premium, excluding the USDA Farm Service Agency administrative fees. Dairy farmers applying for reimbursement will be required to submit full proof of federal premium payment for each year that reimbursement is requested. Applications will close on Feb. 28, 2018.

(NAFB) The United States has reclaimed the title of top beef exporter to South Korea in 2017. The change comes 14 years after a U.S. outbreak of mad cow disease that led to a ban of U.S. beef in South Korea, handing the top spot of the market to Australia, according to Reuters. U.S. beef shipments jumped 13.7 percent last year to 177,400 metric tons, accounting for nearly half of South Korea’s beef imports. Australian shipments eased about four percent to 172,800 metric tons. Beef is a diet mainstay of South Korea, and the nation is the world’s fourth-biggest beef importer, and the third biggest buyer of U.S. beef in 2016, rising to a value of $1.1 billion in 2017. A Korea-based trade researcher attributed the change to the 2017 drought in Australia and a tariff gap between the U.S. and Australia. U.S. beef will attract a 21.3 percent tariff in 2018 while the tariff for Australian beef will be 26.6 percent.