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Canada will not follow a move by the U.S. to place further restrictions on dicamba herbicides. Health Canada, responsible for regulations of herbicides, says it supports the current Canadian labels for dicamba.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently increased restrictions on the use of dicamba sprayed over crops, after the first season of use for dicamba-resistant soybeans turned up about three million acres with crop damage.

However, as AgCanada reports, there appeared to be a much lower level of damage in Canada. In a statement, Health Canada said it was aware of the dicamba drift challenges in the U.S., but says Canada has already mandated that labels of dicamba products include spray drift precautions, use directions and buffer zones.

The U.S. made dicamba herbicides for crop use restricted products, meaning applicators must be certified and follow a specific set of regulations, including what time, and under what conditions dicamba can be applied.

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Canada is “extremely worried” behind the scenes regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. News network CTV of Canada reports the latest round of negotiations has caused concerns.

The U.S. has since tabled a measure to dismantle Canada’s dairy supply management system, but the issue is likely to come up again. Canada refuses to make changes to the system, while the U.S. dairy industry is supporting the proposal. However, dairy is one a several U.S. proposals Canada calls “unreasonable.”

A Canada NAFTA Advisory Council member says more people are saying “it looks like the Americans are driving towards a cliff on this, and Canada will have to follow.”

Trade officials from Canada say the U.S. has set the stage for the nation to either pull out or get the “America first” agreement, which “doesn’t put Canada in a very good spot.” The negotiations will continue next month in Mexico.

(NAFB) Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts says agricultural exports are key to achieving President Donald Trump’s plan for reducing the trade deficit with NAFTA members. The White House says more ag exports into Canada and Mexico through the North American Free Trade Agreement will help reduce the trade deficit, and Senator Roberts agrees. Roberts spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer last week, saying he indicated “the best way for our trading partners to buy down the deficit is to buy U.S. agricultural products,” according to Politico. Roberts says that Lighthizer “made that very clear” that the administration seeks to increase ag exports. Roberts says the administration needs to have its chief agricultural negotiator at the table. Gregg Doud’s nomination is awaiting Senate confirmation.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced that twelve projects across Missouri received grants funded by the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program. Missouri received more than $374,000 to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. “Missouri agriculture is extremely diverse and supporting our specialty crops is essential to continuing that tradition,” Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said. “This year’s grant recipients will use their funding to reach more consumers through outreach and advocacy and empower more farmers to expand or diversify their operations.” Selected through a competitive process, these projects focus on increasing sales of Missouri Grown specialty crops by investing in research for various specialty crops, evaluating new specialty crop rotation practices, providing improved nutritional education and marketing materials for consumers, and introducing on-farm consultations and workshops to small and midsized farmers about new and current agriculture technology.

Golden Harvest is launching their 2017 #AcetheAcre photo #contest. Farmers are encouraged to share harvest photos on Twitter and Instagram, or to the Golden Harvest Facebook page using the hashtags #AcetheAcre and #contest through Nov. 26. Participants will have the opportunity to win weekly prizes and the grand prize, a $500 donation to a cause of their choice and a Polaris Sportsman 570 ATV. “At Golden Harvest, we want to celebrate the countless hours farmers put in leading up to harvest,” said Colin Steen, head, Golden Harvest West. “So many factors go into a successful season, including genetics, seed selection, proper placement, strong agronomics and season-long management. This photo contest allows farmers to showcase the results they are getting out of every acre after a season of hard work.”

To learn more about the #AcetheAcre photo #contest and how to submit your photos, visit the official website at http://www.goldenharvestseeds.com/clp/ace-the-acre/

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The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank reports farm lending has stabilized, but risks remain. The Federal Reserve’s Agricultural Finance Databook shows risks in the sector have remained alongside a persistently weak agricultural economy. The volume of non-real estate farm loans originated in the third quarter this year increased about two percent from the previous year.

The slight increase followed a similar year-over-year increase in the second quarter after sharp declines in lending activity the previous two quarters. Operating loans have continued to account for a rising share of commercial banks’ farm loan portfolio, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total volume of non-real estate farm loans over the past year.

The report says that risk ratings on new farm loans have increased somewhat, interest rates have edged higher, and the loan-to-deposit ratio, a key measure of bank liquidity, also has increased.

(NAFB) – More than 15 countries in the Western Hemisphere have sent officials to the Ethanol Summit of the Americas to talk over current and future ethanol opportunities in the region. The event runs through Friday and is sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council, the Renewable Fuels Association, and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.

Tom Sleight, U.S. Grains Council president and CEO says increasing cooperation between ethanol industries supports economic growth for all countries involved. “Collaborative efforts like this pave the way for expanded ethanol use across the region,” says Sleight. RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen says the dialogue is desperately needed across the industry due to a growing protectionism among many countries in the world.

“Protectionism will only thwart our efforts to expand this important industry and won’t help to address pressing regional energy and environmental needs,”

Dinneen says. In part, because of efforts like the Energy Summit of the Americas, the U.S. set a record for ethanol exports in the 2016-2017 marketing year at 1.37 billion gallons. That’s a corn equivalent of 488 million bushels in corn.

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Debbie Stabenow, the ranking democrat member of the Senate Ag Committee, wants to defend the farm bill from possible budget cuts that could come during the budget reconciliation process that got started this week. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says she filed an amendment on Wednesday that’s intended to keep all farm bill programs away from any spending reductions from 2019 to 2028.

The move is seen as mostly symbolic, coming as the Senate gets ready to consider the GOP budget resolution, which would pave the way for tax reform. The Senate’s budget resolution spares the Ag Committee from having to come up with cuts, while the House resolution calls for $10 billion in cuts over the next 10 years.

Those two measures will have to be reconciled. “As we write the Farm Bill,” Stabenow says, “we need to send a message to our farmers, families, and rural communities that they are not on the chopping block for cuts. This amendment protects farm programs from harmful budgets cuts.” She says the amendment also helps to protect America’s land and water, as well as invests in the country’s farmers and small towns.