(NAFB) The Environmental Protection Agency Friday announced new restrictions for dicamba-based herbicides, classifying dicamba as a restricted-use product. The EPA said that only certified pesticide applicators, or people under their supervision, will be allowed to spray dicamba.

The EPA also is reducing the maximum wind speed and the hours during each day when dicamba may be sprayed, and will require farmers to keep records proving they’re complying with the product label, according to Reuters.

Monsanto says the EPA decision will “ensure farmers have even more success” with dicamba-based herbicides, such as Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. Thousands of complaints during this growing season, and many last year, of dicamba drifting to neighboring fields not tolerant to the herbicide, prompted the announcement by the EPA.

(NAFB)

Business leaders from the U.S. and Korea are pressing South Korea and the United States to “eliminate the uncertainty” around the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, known as KORUS. The U.S.-Korea Business Council, along with the Korea-U.S. Business Council, issued a joint statement, calling KORUS “a platform to expand bilateral trade.”

President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement and Korea has agreed to a renegotiation effort by the Trump administration. However, the two business councils, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, expressed concern with the discussions, and the “limited consultation with the business community.”

The statement points out the benefits of KORUS to the U.S., noting that Korean tariffs have been reduced or eliminated. U.S. exports of agricultural products such as beef and pork have increased because of the trade agreement.

(Politico)

Vice President Mike Pence is meeting with Japan Monday in Washington. D.C. to talk trade. Politico reports that Pence and Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister will meet for the second round of the U.S.-Japan economic dialogue launched by the Trump administration in the wake of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Japan is expected to propose to change its safeguard mechanism on frozen U.S. beef imports to shorten review periods and allow importers to voluntarily lower import volumes to prevent tariffs from automatically kicking in. Japan is currently the fourth largest goods trading partner with the U.S., according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.

U.S. total exports of agricultural products to Japan totaled $11 billion in 2016. Leading domestic export categories include corn, valued at $2.1 billion, pork products, valued at $1.6 billion, beef products, valued at $1.5 billion, and soybeans, valued at $1 billion.

(Politico)

As the fourth round of NAFTA talks continue, several agriculture and business groups are increasingly concerned about the future of the 23-year old agreement. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says a large group of organizations, including the American Farm Bureau, National Pork Producers Council, the Coalition of Services Industries, and many others hit Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

The goal was to enlist lawmakers in their campaign against the Trump administration approach to trade policy. The stakes are especially high for ag exporters. Should the agreement be terminated, the resulting increases in tariffs would be low for many economic sectors.

However, farmers would see a 25 percent tariff on beef shipments, 45 percent on turkey and some dairy products, and tariffs as high as 75 percent on chicken, potatoes, and high-fructose corn syrup sent to Mexico. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the danger of a NAFTA withdrawal to ag producers was “an empty threat.”

He says, “As far as I can tell, there’s not a world oversupply of agricultural products. Unless countries are prepared to have their people go hungry or change their diets, I think it’s more of a threat to try and frighten the agricultural community.”

Two House Democrats who’ve been past critics of trade agreements, Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Lloyd Doggett of Texas, are calling on Republicans to hold a hearing on the impact of a potential NAFTA withdrawal.

(NAFB)

U.S. negotiators officially offered the “sunset clause” proposal on Wednesday during the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The sunset clause would bring NAFTA to an end after five years unless the three countries involved agree to extend it. Two people familiar with the talks told Bloomberg that the proposal was made to a smaller group of negotiators.

The White House declined to comment on NAFTA talks and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office didn’t respond to a Bloomberg request for a comment. Canada and Mexico both rejected the idea when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross brought it up a month ago.

Both countries say it would create so much uncertainty for business that it would hurt long-term investments. The trade pact already has an exit provision. A country can leave NAFTA simply by giving a six-month notice to the other two parties.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is warning against “poison-pill” proposals, saying they could doom the entire agreement. Secretary Ross was asked about the sunset clause during an event on Wednesday and said, “that’s our proposal.”

(USDA)

A new report suggests the Department of Agriculture should develop a new system for gathering information for crop reports and other surveys. USDA contracted with the National Academy of Sciences three years ago to audit how USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service collects data.

The report highlighted that NASS could make several changes over time to improve the accuracy of its reports, as well as develop guidelines that make data collection more transparent and reproducible, according to DTN. Specifically, USDA asked the academy to look at how NASS does county-level crop estimates as well as cash-rent estimates.

The report says a vision for NASS in 2025 should focus on changing the Agricultural Statistics Board to models that incorporate multiple data sources. NASS uses multiple data sources through the board. However, the report says the current process is” inherently subjective and neither transparent nor reproducible.” A USDA NASS spokesperson called the report a “real opportunity” for improvements.

(NAFB)

If the North American Free Trade Agreement survives the renegotiation effort, The United Kingdom may be interested in joining the pact. Reuters-London reports Britain could join a formal trade alliance with the United States, Canada and Mexico if the European Union refuses to finalize a post-Brexit trade deal by 2019.

Reuters says that if Britain did join NAFTA, exporters to the EU and North America would have to produce goods in accordance with the two separate sets of rules, according to trade analysts. Britain, whose regulation has been within the EU for over 40 years, would also have to shift towards the North American model for trade.

That comes as the BBC reports the profitability of the average U.K. farm could be cut in half after Brexit. In 2014, the U.K. was reported to rely on the EU for 27 percent of its food imports. Just four percent of food items in the U.K. originated from North America, and 54 percent of food consumed in the U.K., originated in the U.K.

(NAFB)

President Donald Trump called Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, a “great friend” as tensions rise amidst the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations this week. However, as Bloomberg reports, Trump showed no signs of retreat regarding NAFTA, saying “It’s possible we won’t be able to make a deal and it’s possible we will.”

Farm and industry groups were raising alarms this week amidst plans for agriculture negotiations during the current round of discussion, and talks that the U.S. may be pushing it’s NAFTA partners to walk away from the agreement. The American Farm Bureau Federation this week joined Farmers for Free Trade to defend the agreement.

The agenda for the current round of negotiations includes discussions on financial services, labor rules, agriculture, digital trade, and investment and energy, according to the agenda. Trudeau met with Trump to “emphasize the importance” of the agreement to the three member countries. Trudeau also met with the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.