Recent government raids targeting undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are causing distress through the agriculture labor sector. Agriculture is heavily dependent on foreign workers, and recent arrests made in at least six states over the past week has left undocumented workers afraid to travel and farmers pondering whether they can risk hiring the workers, according to a report by Bloomberg News. The American Farm Bureau Federation says more than half of U.S. farm workers are undocumented, and farmers are already coping with a decreasing labor supply in the Western U.S. due to increased border security. An executive order by President Donald Trump sparked the raids and could have the potential to strip farms and meat-processing plants of labor. The immigration crackdown may also mean rising grocery costs for consumers. A recent Farm Bureau study shows enforcement-only immigration policy without reforms that benefit farm labor could increase food prices by as much as six percent.

Kansas Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran says wheat and sorghum need attention in the next farm bill, along with other key commodities including cotton and dairy. Legislators and agriculture groups have largely focused on cotton and dairy products so far during the early stages of farm bill discussions. In a recent editorial, Moran says lawmakers should “not forget the farm crisis in the High Plains.” Moran notes hard red winter wheat acres in Kansas are at the second-lowest level in the past 100 years, reflecting the “economic reality currently facing wheat producers.” Meanwhile, Moran says the threat of sugarcane aphids to sorghum is making it harder to make a profit on the traditionally low-input crop, meaning sugarcane acres may fall by another 30 percent this year. Moran says that if farmers from across the nation – cotton, livestock, wheat and rice producers included – stand together during the next farm bill, he is “confident we can work together to address the critical issues facing growers of every commodity.”

Japan’s Prime Minister told the nation’s parliament this week he is open to a bilateral trade agreement with the United States. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he is “not afraid” of a free trade agreement with the U.S. if it benefits Japan, according to online newspaper Japan Today. Abe made the comments following a visit to the United States to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. The two leaders agreed to launch high-level economic dialogue, including possibly discussing bilateral trade framework. U.S. President Trump prefers bilateral trade deals over multilateral deals, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership he withdrew the U.S. from last month. However, analysts in Japan predict that compared to trade negotiations involving multiple nations, Japan may find itself facing harsher demands from the United States in bilateral talks.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts announced his support Tuesday for a bill that would eliminate redundant federal permitting requirements for pesticide applications. The Sensible Environmental Protection Act amends the Clean Water Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act to clarify Congressional intent regarding pesticide use in or near navigable waters. The bill was introduced by Idaho Republican Senator Mike Crapo and Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill. Roberts, a Kansas Republican, says this is the fifth consecutive session of Congress he has joined an effort to stop the redundant permitting process, and that he is hopeful “this is the last time.” Roberts says: “Farmers and ranchers work too hard to be forced to comply with regulations that are redundant and provide absolutely zero environmental protection or benefits.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan says he asked Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding Canadian market access for U.S. dairy producers. The Wisconsin Republican met with Trudeau Monday as part of Trudeau’s visit to Washington, DC this week. Speaker Ryan said the two had a “productive discussion” which included the “importance of breaking down trade barriers and improving market access for America’s dairy farmers,” among other topics. Trudeau met with President Donald Trump focusing on trade and security, but did not touch on the dairy issue, according to the Hagstrom Report. Dairy groups and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture had asked Trump to raise the issue with Trudeau. The U.S. dairy groups say Canada’s dairy pricing structure is “expressly intended to slash milk imports from the United States.”

During his visit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump said there would only be “tweaking” needed to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump called the trading relationship between the U.S. and Canada “outstanding,” but has yet to outline what kind of tweaks he has in mind for NAFTA. During a press conference with Trudeau, Trump said he is more concerned with the U.S. trade relationship with Mexico under NAFTA. Politico speculates Trump may be considering separate bilateral deals with both Canada and Mexico, breaking away from the decades-old three-nation trade pact. Trudeau said he expects the U.S. and Canada to remain each other’s most essential trading partners. Trudeau says changes to NAFTA are “a real concern for many Canadians” because how dependent Canada’s economy is on the nation’s relationship with the United States. Canada sends roughly 75 percent of its exports to the U.S.

The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold 18 confirmation hearings in the coming months for positions in the Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies. While yet to be scheduled, a confirmation hearing for Agriculture Secretary Nominee Sonny Perdue will be one of 14 for USDA positions, alone. The committee must also confirm replacements for three vacancies at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and one for the Farm Credit Administration board. Senate aides told The Hagstrom Report that considering nominees for confirmation is a primary responsibility of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and will take priority over work on the next farm bill. The committee must confirm the USDA Secretary, Deputy Secretary and a group of Assistant Secretary and Undersecretary positions. Sources close to the transition efforts expect Sonny Perdue’s confirmation to come in early March.