Farmers had more optimism about the agriculture economy in January than they had in previous months. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have concerns. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer says one of their biggest worries is farmland values.

The January reading of 143 was a 16-point jump over December. The survey was the first opportunity to measure how farmers were feeling after the second round of Market Facilitation Payments came out, as well as how they felt about the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Those two announcements gave a positive shot in the arm to producers’ sentiments on both their current and future economic conditions.

The January Index of Current Conditions jumped from 109 in December to 132 in January. The Index of Future Expectations rose from 135 to 148. The January survey also included early planting intentions. The survey asked farmers who planted soybeans last year what their plans are in 2019.

Two-thirds of the farmers who responded to the survey say their soybean acreage won’t change from last year. However, 25 percent of soybean producers will be looking to reduce their soybean acreage compared to what it was last year.

The Farm Credit Council joined with the Rebuild Rural Coalition in sending a letter this week to congressional leadership. They did so on behalf of rural communities, U.S. farmers, rural businesses, and rural families. “We’re asking the President and Congress to consider the unique needs of rural communities,” says Farm Credit Council CEO Todd Van Hoose. “The more than 240 organizations signing this letter have united on behalf of our rural America.”

The groups say they’re asking the White House and Congress to ensure that rural communities have access to clean and safe drinking water, secure and dependable surface transportation, reliable and affordable power, healthcare, housing, broadband, as well as research institutions with state-of-the-art facilities. Their goal is to help rural communities thrive and become more attractive places to live.

The 240-plus local, state, and national organizations from across the country are asking leadership in both chambers to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure, including specific provisions focused on the needs of rural communities and agriculture.” Farm Credit supports rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Farm Credit has been fulfilling its mission of helping rural America grow and thrive for more than a century.

Preliminary trade discussions between Washington and Brussels aren’t going well. In fact, Politico says the talks now appear to basically be an effort to not jump into a full-on trade war. That possibilities potentially include new U.S. tariffs being slapped on automobiles. The two sides can’t even seem to agree on how the negotiations should proceed.

The U.S. wants greater access to Europe’s agricultural markets. However, EU officials say that topic is a deal-breaker. They fear potential backlash from the EU’s politically powerful bloc of farmers. Brussels wants to get rid of tariffs on the industrial goods it ships to the U.S., including cars. However, President Trump is determined to protect American manufacturing.

Politico says the stalemate over agricultural negotiations appears to be dimming hopes for a comprehensive transatlantic trade deal even before official negotiations get going. To keep the U.S. president at the negotiating table, the EU has agreed to boost U.S. soy imports by allowing the use of crops subsidized for biofuel production. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross originally had a deadline of February 19th to make recommendations to the president regarding possible duties on auto imports.

However, the government shutdown may have delayed that. Once the recommendations are made, Trump will have 90 days to make a decision The EU Parliament’s Trade Committee vote this month on whether or not to formally oppose the U.S.-EU negotiations.

The Department of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative’s Office are accepting nominations for new members to serve on its agricultural trade advisory committees. Announced Monday, nominations received by Friday, March 1, 2019, will be considered for the next round of appointments.

Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says farmer input on the panels can “help guide President Trump’s trade strategy” in opening markets for U.S. agriculture through ongoing trade negotiations. Members of the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee advise USDA and USTR on operating existing U.S. trade agreements, on negotiating new agreements, and on other trade policy matters. Members of the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees represent specific commodity sectors and provide technical advice and guidance on trade issues that affect both domestic and foreign production.

Committee members represent a cross-section of U.S. food and agricultural stakeholders and must have knowledge of agriculture and trade matters. Committee members, who serve four-year terms, must be U.S. citizens, qualify for a security clearance, and serve without compensation for time, travel or expenses.

Agriculture leaders of Canada and Mexico will speak at the USDA 95th Agricultural Outlook Forum later this month. The Department of Agriculture recently announced Minister Lawrence MacAulay of Canada and Secretary Victor Villalobos Arambula of Mexico will join U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue for the forum’s keynote address on February 21.

The session will mark the first time the three ministers have spoken jointly at a public forum since the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in November 2018. Secretary Perdue says the forum will focus on how USMCA will facilitate agricultural trade among the three countries. USDA says this year’s Agricultural Outlook Forum, themed “Growing Locally, Selling Globally,” highlights current issues and trends affecting agricultural production and global markets.

USDA says the event also offers a platform for exchanging ideas, information and best practices among producers, processors, policymakers, government officials, and non-governmental organizations.

China continues to purchase U.S. soybeans with a more than one million metric ton buy on Friday, and another 600,000 metric ton purchase reported Monday. Following a round of trade talks last week, China pledged to purchase another five million metric tons of U.S. soybeans.

Friday’s purchases by state-owned firms were believed to be destined for China’s state reserves, and thus immune from high import tariffs, according to Reuters. The 25 percent tariffs, imposed last summer in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, remain in place for U.S. soy imports by commercial crushers in China.

With ongoing trade talks, China began purchasing U.S. soybeans at the end of December. China halted the purchases of U.S. soybeans when the tariff was put in place and purchased most of its needed supply from Brazil. Trade talks between China and the U.S. have a March 1 deadline set by the Trump administration, and Trump said over the weekend “we have a good chance to make a deal.”

Growth Energy filed a petition in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to address small refinery exemptions in its 2019 renewable volume obligation rulemaking, which was issued late last year.

“EPA’s inaction on addressing lost gallons due to small refinery exemptions in this rulemaking is a clear violation of law,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “In doing nothing to remedy these and other deficiencies, EPA has again failed to meet its statutory obligation to ensure that annual RVOs are met each year.”

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, refineries producing transportation fuel must demonstrate each year that they have blended certain volumes of renewable fuel into gasoline or diesel fuel or acquired credits from others called renewable identification numbers, or “RINs”, representing all of part of those volume obligations.

The RFS allows certain “small” refineries – those with a throughput of less than 75,000 barrels per day – to petition EPA for a temporary extension of an earlier exemption from the renewable fuel volume requirements. The exemption is supposed to exempt only those refiners who can show that compliance with the RFS would cause “disproportionate economic hardship.”

In 2018, Growth Energy says they became aware of a stark increase in the number of small refinery exemptions being granted in recent years, with no apparent effort by EPA to publicly identify those who received the exemptions, explain the increase, or account for renewable fuel obligations lost to the exemptions.

Growth Energy says that despite repeated challenges by them and others in 2018, both in petitions and comments to the agency and before federal courts, EPA has steadfastly failed to make good its statutory obligation to ensure that RVOs established by the Agency are met each year. EPA explicitly refused to take up the issue of small refinery exemptions in its 2019 RVO rulemaking, stating that such exemptions were “beyond the scope” of the rulemaking.