In-season application restrictions of dicamba now await final approval in Arkansas. The Arkansas State Plant Board voted to prohibit the use of dicamba from April 16 through October 31. The board vote was 10-3, with one member recusing from voting. The regulations include exemptions for dicamba use in a pasture, rangeland, turf, ornamental, direct injection use for forestry, and home use. A DTN report says the rule is now awaiting final approval by the Executive Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council. Arkansas State Plant Board Director Terry Walker says it’s possible that the legislature could get it on the calendar right away during the next session, or even call a special session because it’s a hot-button topic. The board moved the meeting to a hotel in Little Rock in order to accommodate the number of people that wanted to participate in the event. As further proof of the event’s magnitude, a number of armed security personnel were on hand to prevent trouble. The preparation came about because of the contentious nature of the issue but the hearing started and finished peacefully.

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says he’s in the process of drawing up contingency plans for the agriculture industry, in case the U.S. withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Washington Examiner says those comments come just days ahead of the fifth round of talks between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. There hasn’t been a lot of measurable progress as Canada and Mexico are rejecting the Trump Administration’s more controversial proposed changes to the deal. That has made the threat of breakdowns in negotiations a real possibility. Perdue says a breakdown in communications could mean the U.S. would pull out of the pact. “We’re talking to the administration and Congress about some mitigation efforts if that were to occur,” says Perdue, “such as how we would protect our producers with the safety net if prices respond negatively to withdrawal.” Still, Perdue says these are only contingency plans and that he expects the NAFTA negotiations to succeed. “There’ll be some nervous bumps along the road, in the meantime,” Perdue says.

The World Health Organization issued recommendations on the use of antibiotics in agriculture. Dr. Chavonda (sha-vohn’-dah) Jacobs-Young, Acting Chief Scientist with the USDA, says the WHO guidelines are not in alignment with U.S. policy and aren’t supported by sound science. “The recommendations incorrectly combine disease prevention with growth promotion in animals,” she says. “The WHO previously requested the standards for on-farm uses of antibiotics in animals be updated through an open and science-based process. However, before the process could begin, they released these guidelines based on low-quality and, in some cases, very low-quality evidence.” Current Food and Drug Administration policy says medically-important antibiotics should not be used for promoting growth in animals. FDA allows antibiotic use for treating, controlling, and preventing disease in food-production animals under the direction of veterinarians. Jacobs-Young says the WHO guidelines would impose unnecessary constraints on the judgment of the veterinarians that oversee antibiotic use. She adds, “USDA agrees that we need more data to assess progress on antimicrobial use and resistance, and we need to continue to develop alternative therapies for the prevention, treatment, and control of diseases in animals.”

JD Dot Com, Inc., says it will buy $2 billion worth of U.S. goods, over half of which will be beef and pork. The deal comes at the same time President Donald Trump is in China. JD Dot Com, China’s second-largest online mall, will buy more than $1.2 billion worth of beef from the Montana Stock Growers Association and pork from Smithfield Foods over the next three years. The company released a statement after a signing ceremony this week, saying that the deal is part of a commitment to buy a wide range of U.S. goods. American companies that made the trip with the president and China announced deals this week worth about $9 billion dollars. China has officially reopened its borders to American beef there hasn’t been a lot of movement yet as only a limited supply meets Chinese import requirements. China is the world’s biggest pork producer, consumer, and importer. JD Dot Com CEO Richard Liu (Loo) says, “Chinese consumers will rest assured knowing that they will be able to purchase safe, high-quality meat products imported from the U.S.” Beef is the fastest-growing meat sector in China and the country is the world’s fastest-growing overseas market for beef.

House Ag Committee leaders and a group of farm lobbyists are calling on the Trump Administration to not withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Hagstrom Report says they’re also asking the White House to finish negotiations quickly to avoid potential declines in agricultural exports. Texas Republican and House Ag Committee Chair Michael Conaway and Minnesota Democrat Collin Peterson, the ranking member, met with lobbyists this week to discuss NAFTA. Following the discussion, Conaway, Peterson, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, and the pork, dairy, grains, and fruit and vegetable lobbyists said they were all unified in their opposition to withdrawal from NAFTA and in favor of a quick end to the negotiations. However, the difficulty in the mission to prevent NAFTA withdrawal became apparent when the dairy lobby defended the Trump administration’s proposals to force Canada to end its supply management system. The uncertainty surrounding the NAFTA negotiations is hurting American exports in an increasingly competitive international economy. U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Tom Sleight said the South American grain companies are improving their competitiveness every day. The European Union is taking advantage of the uncertainty and already seeking to make free trade deals with key U.S. markets like Japan and Mexico.

The World Health Organization issued a strong statement this week against the use of all antibiotics in healthy food-producing animals. The WHO says overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both animals and humans is contributing to the buildup of antibiotic resistance. The organization notes that some bacteria that cause serious diseases in humans have built resistance to most types of treatment options and there are very few new options in the research pipeline. WHO says 80 percent of antibiotic use is in the animal sector, with most usage promoting animal growth instead of treating disease. The agency says healthy animals should only be treated if a disease has been diagnosed in other members of the herd or flock. Antibiotics should also be chosen from the group of medicines that the WHO considers “least important to human health.” The National Pork Producers Council called a ban on disease prevention uses of antibiotics in animal food production “ill-advised and wrong,” also saying that the U.S. pork industry’s goal has been to reduce the need for antibiotics. However, they say denying the use of antibiotics goes against the obligations of pork farmers and veterinarians to care for their animals.

The American agricultural lobby thought that President Trump’s trade politics would spare farmers and others in agriculture. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says it was the rural and red-state turnout that put Trump over the top in the presidential election. Trump has threatened to issue a formal intent to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and agriculture can’t seem to get its message through. The U.S. exports nearly $18 billion of agriculture goods to Mexico, with exports the main profit driver in agriculture. However, Politico says those numbers don’t seem to be registering with the negotiators. “To be honest with you, it’s difficult, because even though we have a lot of support from people within the Trump Administration, the president has made comments that have obviously caused us a lot of concern,” says Kent Baucus, the International Trade Director for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Now that the threat of withdrawal seems more like reality, rather than a bargaining tactic, there’s also a growing recognition that agriculture may not have put together an effective strategy to counter the threat. Gordon Stoner, a Montana farmer who leads the National Association of Wheat Growers, says the only solution may be a grassroots campaign in which farmers, ranchers, and others, stand up and demand action.

The latest Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer showed farmer optimism improving slightly in October, coming in at an index of 135. That’s actually the third-highest level since the survey began two years ago. The modest improvement during October came about because of increasing optimism for what lies ahead. The Index of Future Expectations increased from 130 to 137 in October. But, the Index of Current Conditions was a little lower than the previous month. Compared to the July survey, fewer producers expect higher corn, soybean, and wheat prices over the next 12 months. At the same time, producers don’t expect lower prices during that same time period, either. Fewer producers expect to make major management changes from a year ago, specifically when it comes to fertilizer application. Similar to last year, 19 percent of producers expect to lower their seeding rates and 35 percent of farmers will adjust their seed variety or hybrid package in 2018. Only one-third of producers plan to reduce fertilizer rates when compared to last year. That’s down from 46 percent when the survey was conducted last year, likely due to lower fertilizer costs. 80 percent of producers expect farmland rental rates to be unchanged in 2018.