A letter from 22 lawmakers urges House leadership to immediately extend the biodiesel tax incentive. The lawmakers, led by Democrats Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Dave Loebsack of Iowa, say failure to extend the tax incentives “jeopardizes environmental and public health benefits, as well as the future of the industry.”

The incentive was retroactively extended for only 2017 in the last Congress, and the economic uncertainty over the status of the incentive is harming the biodiesel industry. The National Biodiesel Board welcomed the call, stating biodiesel producers “are looking for an immediate resolution to the uncertainty they’ve faced since the start of 2018.” In the letter, the lawmakers call biodiesel a significant economic driver in rural communities, supporting more than 60,000 jobs.

The lawmakers are urging House leadership to consider a retroactive credit for 2018, and an extension through 2019. The National Biodiesel Board adds that the industry “needs policy certainty to meet the nation’s goals for low-carbon fuels, green jobs, and cleaner air.”

New technology export controls by China are part of the nation’s efforts to shield “against certain countries,” a shot at the United States as part of the ongoing trade war. The new national technologic security management list announced over the weekend would blacklist “unreliable” foreign entities “deemed to have damaged the interests of Chinese firms,” according to the South China Morning Post.

The U.S. and China remain embattled in a trade war after both sides appeared to be nearing an agreement in May. However, a Department of Agriculture official included in the talks confirmed China was “backsliding” on agreed-to terms in the final round of negotiations.

The new tech controls from China are just part of the long list of tit-for-tat measures between the two that have largely resulted in tariffs on U.S. agricultural products. Experts are eying an end of June meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Japan that could be “a replay of the summit in Argentina last December.” However, that meeting has not been confirmed.

(MHA) The first ever statewide conference on growing hemp will be held July 30 in Columbia, Missouri at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center. The conference, organized by the Missouri Hemp Association, will cover the topics from “Seed to Sale” during the full day program starting at 10:30am.

“We have an exciting program planned for any Missouri farmer interested in growing hemp,” says MHA Executive Director Dale Ludwig. “The program will include academia and allied industry experts on hemp production and marketing, plus a producer panel. We also encourage current and potential suppliers and allied industry to attend this first ever statewide event,” says Ludwig.

To learn more you can visit the MHA website: www.mohempassociation.org. Registration is free for MHA members and all others are $150.00 per ticket. Attendees are encouraged to register early due to limited space.

Mexican officials and President Trump differ in details regarding an agreement to stop the U.S. from imposing tariffs this week due to border crossings. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation over the weekend, a Mexican official simply stated that trade between both countries, including agriculture, is expected to increase over time.

President Trump last week on Twitter said a deal with Mexico would include immediate buys of U.S. farm products. A deal was later reached, but there is no word or evidence to back his claims. The primary concern of the Trump administration was to address the migrants passing through Mexico to reach the United States. Mexico did make border concessions in the agreement, vowing to send National Guard officers to the border and to not only allow those returned to stay in Mexico, but offer them work permits, health care and education.

Trump claimed over the weekend the new purchases of U.S. farm products by Mexico would start immediately. Another Mexican official Monday said there was no side deal for agriculture made during the talks. Mexico is already one of the largest markets for U.S. agriculture.

The House Agriculture Committee unveiled a new website, featuring a modern, responsive design that works on phones, tablets, and desktops. The new website can be found at the same link: agriculture.house.gov

“I’m proud of our new website, that makes it easier for folks to navigate and find out what the committee is up to,” said Chairman Collin C. Peterson. “We’ve taken a modern approach that works on all devices and with this new platform, the people we fight for are able to find the critical information they need.”

The new site also features rebranded committee imaging as well as links to the committee’s YouTube, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Settlement talks kicked off last week as part of a lawsuit challenging a Missouri law that makes promoting plant-based-food products as “meat” a misdemeanor crime. Attorneys for the state of Missouri and vegetarian food companies that sued the state are working toward a settlement agreement, part of a court-ordered mediation process.

An Associated Press report says the Missouri law first took effect in August of 2018. It was challenged shortly after that by the Tofurky Company of Oregon, which makes vegetarian food products, as well as the Good Food Institute, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit group that advocates for meat alternatives. The suit claims the Missouri law infringes on First Amendments rights of free speech to use product labels like “veggie burgers” and “vegetarian ham roast.”

Missouri cattlemen who supported the law say they want to make sure that consumers know what they’re buying at the meat case. The dairy industry is facing the same kind of challenges from almond milk and the Missouri cattlemen don’t want to go down that road. A federal judge overseeing the case hasn’t yet ruled on a request for a preliminary injunction.

President Donald Trump signed the $19.1 billion disaster aid bill into law on Thursday. A DTN report says that means farmers in at least six states will likely be eligible for financial help. Three billion of the total has been designated specifically for agricultural losses. It will help southeastern farmers hit hard by last fall’s hurricanes, as well as help Midwest farmers recover from flooding that destroyed grain stored on their farms.

However, the report says there is some confusion over language in the bill regarding “crops prevented from planting in 2019.” USDA will have to decide how it wants to divide up the $3 billion in disaster help for damage done by Hurricanes Michael and Florence, as well as wildfire damage to California crops and flooding in several Midwest states. While Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue commended the president and Congress for getting the bill done, USDA didn’t provide any details on how the agency would begin to distribute the aid.

The disaster aid package comes as farmers across the Corn Belt continue to battle wet weather and are struggling to get crops in the ground. Multiple groups are asking USDA to adjust planting dates or restrictions. Farmers are looking at their options as they’ve passed the prevented planting date for corn and are approaching the late planting period for soybeans.

The National Corn Growers Association made a trip to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to talk about the Renewable Fuels Standard and blending waivers given to refiners. NCGA Renewable Fuels Public Policy Director Kathy Bergren held a briefing for House of Representatives staff. The goal was to explain the damaging effects of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuels Standard blending waivers given to large, profitable refineries.

They also talked about potential solutions to the dispute between the oil and ethanol industries. Since early 2018, the EPA has granted a total of 53 RFS exemptions to refineries for the 2016 and 2017 compliance years. Those exemptions equal a total of 2.61 billion gallons of ethanol. EPA currently has 39 waiver petitions for the 2018 compliance year awaiting action.

The NCGA told the staff in attendance that the waivers have taken a toll on farmers by undercutting the RFS and reducing corn demand. NCGA President Lynn Chrisp was there as well, saying, “While corn farmers are immensely grateful that the barrier to year-round E15 has been lifted, we won’t be able to reap the full benefits if the EPA continues to allow oil companies to avoid blending biofuels in accordance with the RFS.”