Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to Washington, D.C. this week, as part of an effort to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The trade deal has the least path of resistance in Mexico, where lawmakers are expected to ratify the agreement this month.

The trade deal also faces a quick route to passage in Canada, leaving passage in the U.S. the toughest battle to fully ratify the agreement. Canada expects final consideration of the agreement before September. Trudeau is scheduled to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with a planned meeting Thursday with President Donald Trump, according to Reuters.

Trump, along with agriculture groups, have pushed for quick passage of the agreement. However, House Democrats want more time to review the agreement, pressing for potential changes. The agreement must first pass the U.S. House before the Senate can consider the agreement. Nearly 1,000 agriculture groups together last week urged Congress and the Trump administration to finish the agreement.

The European Union and China, along with five others, are criticizing President Trump’s $16 billion trade relief program for farmers, claiming it may violate world trade rules. Specifically, the assistance program could exceed the nation’s WTO subsidy commitments and influence U.S. planting decisions, according to Bloomberg News.

Last month, USDA announced new Market Facilitation Program funds, up to $16 billion, after the U.S. and China failed to reach an expected agreement in trade negotiations. Retaliatory tariffs from China and others have caused harm to U.S. farmers, focusing on U.S. farm products. However, the U.S. has not officially notified the WTO of the relief program, and will now have the opportunity to respond to the questions from other nations.

The European Union has questioned the timing and eligibility criteria of the program, and whether the measures would qualify as WTO-permitted subsidies. The U.S. may be able to craft a WTO-compliant program, if subsidies don’t exceed the U.S.-WTO commitment to cap trade-distorting subsidies at $19 billion per year.

To honor the service men and women of the state, the Missouri State Fair is teaming up with Capital Materials, Retrieving Freedom, Inc. & Starline Brass to present a new event called the Military Flag Ceremony. Veterans and active service members from across Missouri are eligible to be honored one of the eleven days during the Missouri State Fair, in a ceremony taking place at the flag pole on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

To be selected, individuals must be nominated using the form available on the Missouri State Fair website. Nominees must be Missouri residents and available one of the eleven days of the 117th Missouri State Fair, Aug 8-18. Once a nomination is completed it can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the Missouri State Fair office.

The deadline to submit nominations is July 4, 2019. Join the state fair in honoring our military men and women in the first ever Military Flag Retreat Ceremony at the 2019 Missouri State Fair by nominating a veteran/active military service person by July 4th.

Agriculture groups, including the National Corn Growers Association, are celebrating this week as National Pollinator Week. Twelve years ago, the U.S. Senate approved the designation of a week in June as National Pollinator Week. NCGA is working cooperatively with numerous groups like The HoneyBee Health Coalition, Farmers for Monarchs, and the Environmental Defense Fund to expand pollinator awareness through education.

NCGA also has tools available to assist in identifying and implementing pro-pollinator best management practices. NCGA urges farmers to be proactive by being more aware of bees and getting to know local beekeepers. Proactive communication between growers, applicators, and beekeepers is essential to protect honeybees from unintended pesticide exposure.

Meanwhile, Syngenta is using the week to bring awareness to “efforts to continuously improve pesticide product stewardship,” and how stewardship can protect pollinators. When it comes to seed treatments and pesticides, Syngenta says “the importance of observing best-management practices – including reading and following the product label – cannot be overstated,” especially for pollinator protection.

Hearings are underway this week regarding the expanded tariffs the Trump administration plans to impose on China. The tit-for-tat trade war escalated last month when the two nations failed to reach an agreement, and President Trump has pledged to impose tariffs on another $300 billion of Chinese goods coming into the United States.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is holding the hearings this week as part of that process. Most of the hundreds of companies and trade groups giving testimony are opposed to the increased tariffs. In written comments submitted by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, CEO Barb Glenn stated the organization believes there “is a better solution to advancing free and fair trade with China.”

While agreeing with the administration’s findings of China’s restrictive economic and trade policies, NASDA says trade actions that trigger retaliation “threaten rural jobs and fall disproportionately on agriculture.” NASDA, like many other agricultural groups, says, “there should be no increased or additional tariffs.”

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says it’s time for long-term solutions to prevent flooding along the Missouri River. Many reaches of the Missouri River below Gavins Point dam have experienced flooding since early March. President Trump recently authorized billions of dollars in disaster relief for flood victims in a disaster aid package passed by Congress.

Meanwhile, in an Omaha World-Herald editorial, Senator Grassley says it’s time to change how the Missouri River is operated. Grassley says changes need to be made to the Army Corps of Engineers Master Manual, which the Corps follows in managing the river. From 1979 until the changes in 2004, the Master Manual stated the top priority was flood control.

Changes to the manual since 2004 required the Corps to balance the purposes of the river. Since then, Grassley contends “there has been a dramatic increase” in flooding. Grassley has cosponsored the Army Corps of Engineers Flood Control Civilian Advisory Council Act, which would advise the Corps and Congress on river management changes.

U.S. farmers this year may not plant roughly eight million acres due to wet conditions. Industry analysts polled by Bloomberg News say farmers are expected to forgo planting on 2.2 million acres of soybeans, and 6.7 million acres of corn. The Midwest is facing another seven-day forecast of near-daily rain chances, continuing the wettest 12-month period on record.

For soybeans, the 2.2. million unplanted acres are just below a 2.23-million-acre record set in 2015. Last week, the Department of Agriculture cut its corn planting and production forecast, but made no changes to soybeans, making note that there are still some windows of opportunity to plant soybeans.

Monday, the USDA weekly Crop Progress report showed farmers had planted an estimated 83 percent of corn, and 60 percent of soybeans this spring. USDA reports 62 percent corn and 34 percent of soybeans have emerged. For this time of year, the five-year average shows corn plantings are usually finished with 93 percent of soybeans planted.