Today, Governor Mike Parson congratulated Kansas City and all of Missouri for being selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue as the new home of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agricultural Policy (NIFA).

BREAKING: The @USDA announced that it will be moving @USDA_ERS & @USDA_NIFA offices to the Show-Me State! We thank @SecretarySonny for taking a common sense approach to co-locate these offices with farmers, ranchers & the agriculture research communities. #MoveItSonny pic.twitter.com/JBnaG4dx5o

— Missouri Dept. of Ag (@MoAgriculture) June 13, 2019

“We are thrilled that Secretary Perdue chose to relocate ERS and NIFA to the heartland. We appreciate all the hard work and commitment from Secretary Perdue, President Trump’s Administration, and the large Kansas City coalition in making this happen,” Governor Parson said. “Missouri agriculture has unrivaled diversity, access to cutting-edge research at our land grant universities, and a thriving agribusiness environment. By choosing a location close to their farmer-constituent base, these offices will remain rooted in agriculture and, as a result, will be better able to make decisions that serve American agriculture well. ”

Missouri agriculture is an $88.4 billion industry and remains the number one economic driver in the Show-Me State. To learn more, visit Agriculture.Mo.Gov.

The National Association of Conservation Districts is urging farmers to explore transitioning to conservation practices, including no-till and cover crops, to prevent further soil erosion in the face of extreme weather. The U.S. is currently experiencing the wettest 12 months on record, and farmers have faced a well-documented wet spring, and historically slow planting pace.

In February, NACD hosted two focus groups at its annual meeting in San Antonio, for discussions on how soil health practices like cover crops and no-till have impacted farm fields in the face of extreme weather patterns. A total of 22 producers participated in the focus groups, representing 15 states.

Reports compiled following the discussion are available to farmers considering what their options are, and provides an overview of the producers’ testimony, examining how they and their neighbors are responding to extreme weather events. The report states, “producers said they believe soil health practices make their operations more resilient in several ways,” allowing them to “withstand the extremes.” Find the reports online at www.nacdnet.org.

Farmers are making progress on planting, but the wet spring means lower production. Department of Agriculture Crop Progress numbers show roughly 15.8 million acres of corn and 33.6 million acres of soybeans remains to be planted based. The World Agriculture Supply and Demand Report, released Tuesday, predicts U.S. corn production to fall 1.45 billion bushels to 13.7 billion.

However, USDA left the soybean forecast unchanged, with “several weeks remaining in the planting season.” USDA raised the expected season-average corn price to $3.80 a bushel, and the season-average soybean price to $8.25 a bushel. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue confirmed this week that prevent plant acres could not be included in the Market Facilitation Program.

However, Perdue says USDA is “exploring legal flexibilities” to provide a minimal per acre payment to farmers who filed prevent plant and chose to plant an eligible cover crop. Perdue says USDA will provide more details “in the coming weeks.” The Market Facilitation Program is currently under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Employees of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture joined the Economic Research Service in a vote to unionize, according to Agri-Pulse. The vote comes as the Department of Agriculture, within the next few weeks, is expected to announce the sites for the agencies as part of its plan to relocate the two. USDA had previously narrowed the list to the Kansas City Area, Raleigh, North Carolina, and multiple sites in Indiana.

The controversial proposal prompted the Economic Research Service to unionize last month, and Tuesday, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture did the same. Both have formed a so-called bargaining unit with the American Federation of Government Employees. The Federation claims the proposed relocation would impact 568 out of 664 positions total between the two agencies.

By establishing a union at the worksite, the USDA agencies are legally required to notify employees in advance of any proposed changes to their working conditions and to bargain with the union in good faith over those proposed changes.

A letter from 22 lawmakers urges House leadership to immediately extend the biodiesel tax incentive. The lawmakers, led by Democrats Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Dave Loebsack of Iowa, say failure to extend the tax incentives “jeopardizes environmental and public health benefits, as well as the future of the industry.”

The incentive was retroactively extended for only 2017 in the last Congress, and the economic uncertainty over the status of the incentive is harming the biodiesel industry. The National Biodiesel Board welcomed the call, stating biodiesel producers “are looking for an immediate resolution to the uncertainty they’ve faced since the start of 2018.” In the letter, the lawmakers call biodiesel a significant economic driver in rural communities, supporting more than 60,000 jobs.

The lawmakers are urging House leadership to consider a retroactive credit for 2018, and an extension through 2019. The National Biodiesel Board adds that the industry “needs policy certainty to meet the nation’s goals for low-carbon fuels, green jobs, and cleaner air.”

New technology export controls by China are part of the nation’s efforts to shield “against certain countries,” a shot at the United States as part of the ongoing trade war. The new national technologic security management list announced over the weekend would blacklist “unreliable” foreign entities “deemed to have damaged the interests of Chinese firms,” according to the South China Morning Post.

The U.S. and China remain embattled in a trade war after both sides appeared to be nearing an agreement in May. However, a Department of Agriculture official included in the talks confirmed China was “backsliding” on agreed-to terms in the final round of negotiations.

The new tech controls from China are just part of the long list of tit-for-tat measures between the two that have largely resulted in tariffs on U.S. agricultural products. Experts are eying an end of June meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Japan that could be “a replay of the summit in Argentina last December.” However, that meeting has not been confirmed.

(MHA) The first ever statewide conference on growing hemp will be held July 30 in Columbia, Missouri at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center. The conference, organized by the Missouri Hemp Association, will cover the topics from “Seed to Sale” during the full day program starting at 10:30am.

“We have an exciting program planned for any Missouri farmer interested in growing hemp,” says MHA Executive Director Dale Ludwig. “The program will include academia and allied industry experts on hemp production and marketing, plus a producer panel. We also encourage current and potential suppliers and allied industry to attend this first ever statewide event,” says Ludwig.

To learn more you can visit the MHA website: www.mohempassociation.org. Registration is free for MHA members and all others are $150.00 per ticket. Attendees are encouraged to register early due to limited space.

Mexican officials and President Trump differ in details regarding an agreement to stop the U.S. from imposing tariffs this week due to border crossings. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation over the weekend, a Mexican official simply stated that trade between both countries, including agriculture, is expected to increase over time.

President Trump last week on Twitter said a deal with Mexico would include immediate buys of U.S. farm products. A deal was later reached, but there is no word or evidence to back his claims. The primary concern of the Trump administration was to address the migrants passing through Mexico to reach the United States. Mexico did make border concessions in the agreement, vowing to send National Guard officers to the border and to not only allow those returned to stay in Mexico, but offer them work permits, health care and education.

Trump claimed over the weekend the new purchases of U.S. farm products by Mexico would start immediately. Another Mexican official Monday said there was no side deal for agriculture made during the talks. Mexico is already one of the largest markets for U.S. agriculture.