The Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced a listening session for input on implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill. USDA is seeking public input on the changes to existing programs implemented by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Risk Management Agency.

Each agency will consider stakeholder input when making discretionary decisions on program implementation. The listening session will be held February 26, at USDA offices in Washington, D.C. The listening session is open to the public, however, participants must register at farmers.gov/farmbill by February 22, to attend.

USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation Bill Northey says the farm bill “improves farm safety net programs, protects federal crop insurance, and preserves strong rural development and research initiatives.” He says USDA is eager to hear from stakeholders on how the agency can “streamline and improve program delivery while also enhancing customer service.”

A bipartisan group of Senators recently reintroduced legislation to lift the Cuba trade embargo. Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Patrick Leahy, along with Republican Mike Enzi reintroduced the bipartisan Freedom to Export to Cuba Act.

The legislation would eliminate the legal barriers to Americans doing business in Cuba and pave the way for new economic opportunities for American businesses and farmers by boosting U.S. exports. The legislation repeals key provisions of previous laws that block Americans from doing business in Cuba, but does not repeal portions of law that address human rights or property claims against the Cuban government.

Senator Leahy of Vermont said in a statement that the bill would “put more food on the plates of the Cuban people.” Cuba relies on agriculture imports to feed the 11 million people who live in Cuba and the 3.5 million tourists who visit each year. The Senators say Cuba represents a $2 billion opportunity for American farmers annually.

The agreement that averts the threatening government shutdown funds the Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies without a final budget through the current fiscal year, which began last October. President Trump, speaking Tuesday morning, told reporters “I don’t think you’re going to see a shutdown,” but added he has yet to study the agreement, and was initially “not happy” with the proposal.

The deal includes $1.375 billion for border barriers and a roughly 17 percent reduction in the number of ICE detention beds. The agreement must still be drafted into legislation and pass both the House and Senate and get Trump’s approval by Friday to avoid another government shutdown. Politico reports another prolonged shutdown would be especially painful for agriculture, and it’s unclear if USDA could take steps to mitigate some of the headaches that accompanied the previous closures.

Since the arrest of a Huawei official in Canada, commodity flows between Canada and China have slowed. Reuters reports that the political dispute between China and Canada over the arrest of a Huawei executive is slowing canola shipments through Chinese ports and causing some importers to hesitate to buy from their biggest supplier.

Cargoes of Canadian canola in the time since the arrest have taken longer to clear Chinese customs and GMO permits. Canola stocks in Canada have reached record-high year-end levels and trade analysts call the delays by China in approving the shipments unusual. Normally, China buys some $2.5 billion of Canadian canola each year. Trade officials suspect that China is likely carrying out the heightened checks to “pressure Canada” amid the current diplomatic tensions.

A dozen traders, some with direct knowledge of sales in Canada and China, and others in the U.S. who monitor sales, told Reuters the shipping pace has noticeably slowed since the political dispute began.

The Department of Agriculture will release data for the upcoming USDA Agricultural Projections to 2028 report. The data tables, due out Thursday, will include projections for farm income, U.S. fruits, nuts and vegetables supply and use, and global commodity trade. Data tables containing long-term supply, use, and price projections to 2028 for major U.S. crops and livestock products as well as supporting U.S. and international macroeconomic assumptions were released in November of last year.

USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson says the complete USDA Agricultural Projections to 2028 report will be released on March 13, 2019, and will include a full discussion of the projections for U.S. commodity supply and use, farm income, and global commodity trade. USDA’s long-term agricultural projections represent a departmental consensus on a ten-year representative scenario for the agricultural sector.

The projections do not represent USDA forecasts, but rather reflect a conditional long-run scenario based on specific assumptions about macroeconomic conditions, policy, weather and international developments, with no domestic or external shocks to global agricultural markets.

The “Green New Deal” introduced by Democrats last week seeks to work with farmers and ranchers to achieve “net zero greenhouse gas emissions.” The resolution is nonbinding, which means it would create no new programs if it did pass Congress, according to the Hagstrom Report, but it is a framework for discussion, especially in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Food & Environment Reporting Network says one section of the resolution addresses agricultural production, calling for collaborative work with U.S. farmers and ranchers “to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible,” including by supporting family farming, investing in sustainable farming and land use practices that increase soil health, and “building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food.”

Rob Larew, senior vice president of public policy and communications for the National Farmers Union, says the organization understands “the need for action on climate change,” adding “NFU stands ready to work with Congress” to ensure that any federal legislation recognizes “what’s at stake for farm families and rural communities.” The Green New Deal, however, isn’t expected to gain any approval from Republicans.