A renewable fuels trade group has filed a lawsuit against Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. The Advanced Biofuels Association is the first to sue Pruitt over the Renewable Fuel Standard waivers the EPA is dishing out to refineries, large and small. Association President Michael McAdams says the group is concerned that Pruitt is granting the exemptions in an arbitrary manner “behind closed doors with no accountability.” The Association filed the lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit given its “national implications” for the RFS program and its members. Other biofuels groups have threatened to file lawsuits as well. The group contends that the waivers issued by Pruitt have dropped RIN prices and caused “economic harm” to the association’s members, and poses “a threat to the integrity of the RFS program at large.”

China has stopped buying U.S. soybeans as a result of a trade war between the two nations. Bunge Ltd. CEO Soren Schroder told Bloomberg this week that China is instead buying soybeans from Canada and Brazil. China last month announced the planned tariff on U.S. soybeans, shifting the nation’s buying habits. The tariffs are part of an ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China that started with President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. The soybean tariff has not yet been imposed. However, Chinese traders appear to be moving away from U.S. soy because of the potential cost increase. Bunge is the world’s biggest oilseed processor, and Shroder says the company has been able to fulfill demand in China by filling shipments with supplies from outside the United States. A recent study projected that U.S. soybean exports are projected to drop by $4.5 billion to $7.7 billion because of the 25 percent tariff.

(AAA) More than 30 women from 19 states gathered at the Elms Hotel in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, to network, learn and celebrate their love for the Angus breed during the American Angus Auxiliary’s fourth biennial Women Connected Conference. “The main goal of Women Connected is to provide an opportunity for participants to network with other women who share that common bond of Angus cattle,” said Women Connected Chair Anne Lampe, Scott City, Kansas. “In bringing these women together, we hope to educate them, help them engage with one another and empower them to meet their goals.” The meeting held different informational sessions throughout the conference, including ones that informed attendees about all that the Foundation does, speaking and sessions about marketing and promotion strategies. Also a presentation about “Empower and Encourage” was held to inspiring attendees to advocate for agriculture in the kitchen. Attendees also visited the American Angus Association headquarters in St. Joseph, Missouri on the final day of the conference. Women visited with Association staff and toured the offices. The Women Connected conference is funded by the Angus Foundation, and attendees are responsible only for their travel to and from the conference location. Women interested in attending must fill out an application to participate. The conference was first hosted in 2012 at the American Angus Association headquarters in Saint Joseph. The next Women Connected conference will be in 2020 in a location to be determined.

The Department of Agriculture is seeking public comment on a rule to establish the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard mandated by Congress in 2016. The rule will regulate how genetically modified, or bioengineered ingredients, would be disclosed to consumers on food labels. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the rulemaking “presents several possible ways” to determine what foods will be covered by the final rule, and presents label options, as well. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall in a statement called the proposed rule fair, saying it “ensures that food facts win the day over hype.” The proposed rule is open for comment for 60 days and appeared in the Federal Register Thursday. Public comment can be made online at www.regulations.gov. The deadline for comments is July 3, 2018.

A new study says consumers are saving money at the gas pump because of ethanol. An analysis released by the Renewable Fuels Association says ethanol is helping to offset higher fuel prices, and ten percent ethanol blends alone could save consumers at least $39 billion this year. The study of wholesale gasoline and ethanol price data shows that blending E10 has reduced wholesale gasoline prices by at least 27 cents per gallon, or 14 percent, compared to ethanol-free gasoline. The data comes as the Energy Information Administration is already warning drivers that they are likely to see the highest gasoline prices in four years this summer. The study says that at current prices, E10 would save consumers $306 per household, this year. If the U.S. would implement year-round E15 sales, the Renewable Fuels Association says the savings would be at least 34 cents per gallon, or 17 percent, for E15 consumers.

(MODA) Know a Missouri farmer, rancher or forester who goes above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources? Nominate them for the 2018 Missouri Leopold Conservation Award. The Sand County Foundation, presents the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 13 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In Missouri, the $10,000 award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, Missouri Farmers Care (MFC), and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes those who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves.
The application can be found at mofarmerscare.com/leopold-conservation-award/ and sandcountyfoundation.org/uploads/MO-2018-CFN-HiRes.pdf.
Applications can be emailed to MFC Outreach Coordinator, Kari Asbury, at [email protected] or mailed to Missouri Farmers Care, c/o Kari Asbury, 4481 Brown Station Road, Columbia, MO 65202. All applications must be submitted or postmarked by July 20, 2018. Finalists will be announced in November with the award presented in December or January 2019.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week said a North American Free Trade Agreement deal must be reached “within a week or two” of the next meeting of trade negotiators. Officials from the U.S., Canada and Mexico are scheduled to meet next week again to hammer out remaining details in the renegotiation effort. Lighthizer says negotiators must reach an agreement soon to have any chance for an amended NAFTA to pass through the U.S. Congress this year, according to Politico. Lighthizer continued that he would rather get an agreement considered in the current Congress, than “risk a shift in priorities in 2019.” However, little movement will be made before the meeting next week of trade negotiators. Lighthizer made his comments during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event earlier this week before jetting off to China to discuss trade issues between China and the United States.

The proposed rule published today by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is a critical step towards establishing a National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard by the July 29, 2018 deadline. The Coalition for Safe Affordable Food remains committed to a standard that gives consumers access to information about the food they purchase; ensures that farmers continue to have the tools they need to feed a growing world population; and provides certainty to food manufacturers, retailers and others in the supply chain. “Over 1,100 national, state, and local organizations representing the food and agriculture value chain supported enactment of the Bioengineered Food Disclosure Act, because it prevented a state-by-state patchwork of labeling laws, that would have cost U.S. consumers, farmers and manufacturers billions of dollars. “Given the importance of ensuring the final rule is in place by the statutory deadline, the Coalition will be analyzing the proposed rule and developing coordinated food and agricultural industry comments over the next 60 days. The Coalition looks forward to providing the Department with input that reflects the needs of consumers, farmers and the rest of the food value chain.”