House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says “we’re not there yet” on reaching an agreement on the U.S.-Mexico Canada trade pact in Congress. Signed by all three nations and awaiting approval by lawmakers, the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement is facing some political obstacles in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Pelosi and other Representatives argue that strong enforcement must be “central” to the new pact if the Trump administration hopes to get it through Congress, according to Politico. However, Pelosi says she is “optimistic” that the concerns can be resolved, saying she has “always thought that this was probably one of the easier trade agreements to come to agreement on.”

There are still several steps and economic reviews that must be done before the USMCA can be completed fully by the U.S. government. Agriculture groups remain hopeful that the agreement can be wrapped up by the end of this year.

The Department of Agriculture’s backlog of reports delayed from the government shutdown overall provided a neutral outlook. USDA reported 2018 corn production at 14.4 billion bushels with a national average yield of 176 bushels per acre. Meanwhile, USDA says farmers harvested a record 4.5 billion bushels of soybeans, up three percent from last year, with a national average yield of 51 bushels per acre.

As of December 1, 2018, USDA said corn stocks totaled 12 billion bushels, down five percent from last year, and soybean stocks were at 3.74 billion bushels, up 18 percent from last year. The new U.S. ending stocks estimates were neutral for corn, soybeans and wheat, according to DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman. He says the world ending stocks estimates were neutral for corn and wheat, but bullish for soybeans, and that the Grain Stocks report was bullish for corn and neutral for soybeans and wheat.

The reports included the February Crop Production Report, WASDE, Crop Production Annual Summary, Grain Stocks and Winter Wheat Seedings, all delayed by the government shutdown. January WASDE reports were skipped by USDA because of the shutdown.

(FSA) The deadline to “opt-in” for MFP has been extended to February 14, 2019. There are only a few work days left for every producer who had a share of an eligible crop in 2018 to sign part D of the CCC-910. With the second payment now authorized, it is imperative that FSA gets everyone in by that date, and asks everyone to please help spread the word where you can.

If you’ve yet to visit the FSA office to opt-in on MFP please plan to do so soon. Just to reiterate, this program is for every producer who has a share of an eligible crop in 2018. This would include all operators and land owners who shared in corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, hogs, and dairy during 2018.

With the impending deadline and the number of producers that need to come in, they are requesting that you please contact the office to schedule an appointment for your visit. An appointment will save you time during the visit and allow them to be better prepared.

Will they or won’t they? President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping now aren’t expected to meet later this month. Officials on both sides had said the two presidents were scheduled to be face-to-face later in February but now, CNBC says a meeting before the March 2nd deadline is unlikely.

A senior administration official now says there’s “far too much work to do” in a short period of time before a deal can get done with China. President Trump had set a deadline of March 2nd to reach an agreement on trade. White House Trade Adviser Larry Kudlow tells Fox Business that Trump does expect to meet with Xi at some point in the future, but right now, it’s up in the air.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is pressuring Beijing to make structural changes that would bring an end to policies that force U.S. companies to hand over technology or intellectual property as a requirement for doing businesses in the country. “The administration has argued that such policies are a direct attack on U.S. innovation and represent a deliberate campaign by China to take over dominance in the tech sector.

The American Soybean Association says trade talks are good, soybean purchases are good, but lifting the tariff that China slapped on U.S. soybean imports would be better. The ASA says it’s the only way U.S. soybean producers can regain commercial access to China, their most significant overseas market.

“It’s encouraging that the administration is keeping soybeans in their trade conversations with China,” says Davie Stephens, ASA President. “The Chinese Vice Premiere’s commitment to buy another five million tons of soybeans is encouraging, but it’s not the answer. We need an agreement at the end of the 90-day period that specifically rescinds the tariff that China has imposed on U.S. soybean imports.” The ASA president says the “good-faith” purchase commitment is a positive sign that both countries are working towards the real progress that soybean producers are looking for.

However, the purchases don’t offset the damage done to the soybean industry since tariffs were imposed. It also doesn’t repair the long-term damage the tariffs have done to a relationship that was decades in the making. ASA is joining other organizations in asking congressional members to help strengthen their message to the Administration that rescinding the tariffs are vital to the health of the farm economy.

The agriculture group Tariffs Hurt the Heartland commissioned a study on the impact of the trade was on the U.S. economy if the trade war with China picks up again in March, when a temporary truce between the countries runs expires. The study shows the U.S. economy could lose up to 2.2 million jobs and the average family of four would pay an extra $2,400 for goods and services every year.

The study was prepared by the firm Trade Partnership Worldwide. It considered four scenarios, including the worst-case possibility in which new tariffs are slapped on auto imports, as well as all Chinese goods getting hit with a 25 percent tariff. The report says, “In some instances, the tariff actions erase all of the anticipated gains from tax reform.” Republican and Democratic senators held a news conference this week at the Capitol to discuss the trade study and share stories from constituents that have been hurt by the trade war.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer went before Congress this week and heard a lot about the need to remove the tariffs on aluminum and steel imports. Senate Finance Chair Chuck Grassley told reporters after the 90-minute meeting with Lighthizer that, “It was made very clear that the aluminum and steel tariffs should go before Congress takes up the USMCA agreement.”

Agriculture groups heard some good things in the State of the Union speech. However, the reactions were somewhat mixed. Tariffs Hurt the Heartland group spokesman and former Congressman Charles Boustany reacted to President Trump asking Congress for more authority to impose tariffs through the Reciprocal Trade Act, which is currently before Congress.

“The fact that the bill is dead on arrival in Congress is a good sign that Congress has had enough,” Boustany says. “it’s not surprising that a bill abdicating Congressional authority to oversee tariff increases isn’t popular.” National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston says, “We welcome President Trump’s call for passage of the USMCA agreement. With 96 percent of our potential consumers outside of our borders, foreign access is key for cattle producers.”

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says, “Farmers and ranchers across the country need reforms to our immigration system, and we echo the president’s call for Congress to pass the USMCA agreement.” National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says the speech didn’t recognize the harsh realities facing U.S. farmers. “If the President truly wants to support American farm families, he’ll begin to restore our reputation as a reliable trading partner and stop straining relationships with our top trading partners,” says Johnson.

President Donald Trump had a lot to say about trade during his State of the Union speech before Congress. However, there may be a battle over trade policy coming in the near future. Trump’s hardline policies are drawing increased scrutiny on Capitol Hill. There is another bipartisan bill coming before Congress designed to limit the president’s ability to impose duties based on national security.

As the president made his first-ever address to a divided Congress, he spoke about the USMCA trade agreement. Politico says the new agreement now partly rests in the hands of the Democratic majority in the House. Trump calls the agreement a “win for farmers and manufacturers,” as well as a no-brainer when compared to the “historic trade blunder and catastrophe known as NAFTA.” However some groups disagree with that assessment. Some Representatives are already asking for a few changes to the USMCA, including stronger labor protections.

Several lawmakers also told Politico that there isn’t any hope of passing the pact while the steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico are in place. Trump was more guarded in talking about trade discussions with China, saying “any agreement with Beijing must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce the chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs.”