(ILCG) With corn production yield estimates coming in nationally at a record-high number, and the Illinois yield to be the second largest on record, market access will be a key factor in limiting losses due to depressed corn prices. “

This is the type of scenario that we pencil out to demonstrate why market access is so important to corn farmer profitability,” said Illinois Corn Growers Association President Justin Durdan. “Now it looks like our “what if” scenarios might become “what now” situations as we face continued below cost of production prices, threats to our export relationships, and deteriorating transportation infrastructure.”

The November 9, 2017, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Production report pegs the national average per acre corn yield at 175.4 that if realized, would be a record. “We cannot say strongly enough how important export markets are to the profitability picture for corn farmers,” said Durdan. “Specifically, NAFTA needs to remain in effect, and maybe even improved by the Trump Administration, but we cannot withdraw because losing our top corn customer right now is unimaginable.”

Secretary Perdue said this past week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing for the loss of NAFTA, just in case, but at the farm level, no amount of preparation will make a difference to losing that market, especially since we believe that more than half the corn that ends up in Mexico from the U.S. was grown on an American farm.

The U.S. Department of Ag announced it will delay the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule until January 19. The Hagstrom Report says the announcement was strongly criticized by several House Democrats but praised by House Ag Committee Chair Michael Conaway, a Texas Republican.

There are several provisions under the rule, an example of which is requiring outdoor access for poultry that will produce meat to be labeled “Certified Organic.”

The USDA announcement says during the course of reviewing the rule, officials discovered a material error in the record and there was a question about the scope of statutory authority. The agency also says it’s delaying the rule so that it can answer important questions, including the likely costs and benefits analysis.

However, three Democrats, including Ron Kind of Wisconsin, said they were outraged, saying, “This is not a regulation for the sake of regulation,” they said., “This rule has already undergone over 10 years of public process and debate.” The Organic Trade Association filed a lawsuit against USDA, seeking a judicial review of the Trump Administration’s delay of final organic livestock production rules. While the lawsuit is still pending, USDA must answer it by mid-November.

(NPPC) With a Nov. 15 deadline looming, the National Pork Producers Council and the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association today filed a brief in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s motion to delay a mandate that farmers report certain air emissions from manure on their farms. In April, a federal court, ruling on a lawsuit brought by environmental activist groups against EPA, rejected an exemption for farms from reporting “hazardous” emissions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Emergency Planning Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA). CERCLA mainly is used to clean hazardous waste sites but has a federal reporting component, while EPCRA requires entities to report on the storage, use and release of hazardous substances to state and local governments, including first responders. EPA had exempted farms from CERCLA reporting, reasoning that while emissions might exceed thresholds that would trigger responses under the law such responses would be “unnecessary, impractical and unlikely.” The agency limited EPCRA reporting to large, confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), requiring them to make one-time reports. Under the decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, all livestock farms, not just CAFOs, are required to report.

(USMEF) The World Trade Organization has ruled in favor of the United States in a dispute over Indonesia’s complex import requirements for a number of agricultural products, including U.S. beef. The ruling is expected to open up significant new export opportunities for U.S. beef in the Indonesian market. Thad Lively, U.S. Meat Export Federation senior vice president for trade access, explains that Indonesia’s import restrictions were originally aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in beef production but actually resulted in tight beef supplies and high prices for consumers. He notes that the ruling gives both U.S. exporters and Indonesian importers confidence that the market will remain open to U.S. beef, paving the way for significant growth. Last year U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports to Indonesia were 10,783 metric tons valued at $39.4 million, making it the ninth-largest export market for U.S. beef by volume and 15th-largest by value. Through September of this year, exports to Indonesia already nearly matched last year’s totals, reaching 9,934 mt valued at $36.6 million. Indonesia is currently the third-largest export market for U.S. beef hearts, following Mexico and Hong Kong.
More details on the ruling are available from the WTO website and from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.