China’s latest shot in a tit-for-tat trade war is a World Trade Organization Complaint over U.S. solar tariffs. China filed a complaint with the WTO to help determine the legality of the U.S. policies, saying they not only harm China’s rights but also undermine the WTO’s authority, according to Reuters. China says the U.S. tariffs and the U.S. “decision to subsidize renewable energy firms” has distorted the global market. The Trump administration in January announced it was imposing “Safeguard tariffs” over four years, with a 30 percent tariff in the first year reduced gradually to 15 percent in year four. The action, however, is not expected to have an immediate impact on China’s major solar manufacturers, as their exposure to U.S. markets was reduced after earlier trade disputes. One Chinese executive told Reuters that U.S. solar tariffs were a “sideshow” and had little effect on Chinese business.

The Department of Agriculture has added features to the website Farmers.gov to help producers prepare for and recover from natural disasters. The site has updated tools and information to help producers identify the right programs and make decisions for their operations, according to USDA. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the changes Tuesday. New additions to the site include a portal for secure business transactions and a disaster assistance discovery tool. The discovery tool walks producers through five questions to help them identify personalized results of what USDA disaster assistance programs meet their needs. The portal is the first edition of a secure dashboard for producers to manage program applications and other USDA documents. USDA’s vision for the website is to provide producers with “online self-service applications, educational materials, engagement opportunities and business tools,” according to Secretary Perdue. Find the new features online, www.farmers.gov.

U.S. agriculture export prices fell 5.3 percent last month. Data released by the U.S. Department of Labor shows the decline is the largest drop in farm exports since 2011. The decline in July followed a one percent decrease in June, which followed a 1.6 percent increase in May. The department says a 14.1 percent drop in soybean prices was the primary contributor to the decline in agricultural prices. Meanwhile, export prices for corn, wheat, fruits, and nuts also decreased in July. The notable change in July can be attributed to the start of tariffs in the trade war between the U.S. and China. The back-and-forth tariff announcements between the two nations include China’s 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans. China has also targeted 90 percent of U.S. agricultural goods with tariffs. All exports, including non-agricultural items, however, remained unchanged in July, along with no change in prices of U.S. imports.

The U.S. and Mexico are “very, very close” to reaching a deal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement. A White House economic adviser said this week the negotiation teams were going through the perceived final details. The U.S. is hopeful a deal with Mexico can be a model for what Canada could accept. Canada remains on the sidelines as the U.S. has been working over the past several weeks to reach an agreement with Mexico. Mexico remains “cautiously optimistic,” according to Politico, that an agreement can be reached, possibly by the end of this month. If so, the U.S. would then turn to negotiate an agreement with Canada, but some market access differences remain a sticking point when it comes to dairy. The U.S. is hoping to remove Canada’s dairy supply management system as part of the NAFTA talks.

The MO State Fair has a couple new promotions being offered in 2018, on Tuesday, August 14 is Missouri Farmers Care Food Drive $2 Tuesday. With a minimum donation of 2 cans of food you can receive $2 admission to the State Fair. In addition to discounted admission, $2 Tuesday also offers $2 carnival rides, for most rides, all day, and special $2 deals from select concessions and vendors, all day. The $2 Tuesday promotion supports the Missouri Farmers Care Food Drive, now in its eighth year at the Missouri State Fair, and the Drive to Feed Kids initiative. You can learn more about how you can support the Drive and help combat childhood food insecurity in our state at mofarmerscare.com/drive. Tuesday, August 14 will also feature the 2018 Can Creation Contest, sponsored by Woods Supermarket. All of the cans, donated by Woods Supermarket, will be added to the food drive efforts and distributed to food banks following the Fair. Final food drive totals will be announced during the intermission of the RaeLynn/Cole Swindell concert on Saturday, August 18, in the Pepsi Grandstand.

China Monday accepted the 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans, as a vessel waiting to dock for five weeks reached port and began unloading. The move marks the first shipment of U.S. soybeans to be accepted with a 25 percent tariff stemming from the U.S.-China trade war. China’s state grain stockpiling company accepted the shipment, even as government officials warned over the weekend China would source products, such as soybeans, elsewhere. The company will pay the tariff on the 70,000 metric ton shipment, with the tax estimated at $6 million, according to Reuters. The Chinese company claims the ship was delayed by port congestion, though the port has not seen any major backlogs for more than a month. U.S. soybean exports to China in 2017 were worth $12.7 billion, but the trade war between the two nations has sparked concerns over how much U.S. soy China will purchase. Two other ships carrying U.S. soybean have been anchored along China’s coast for a few weeks now, and many expect China to start sourcing more soybeans from Brazil.

China threatens that U.S. agriculture won’t recover from the tit-for-tat trade war between the two countries. In the South China Morning Post, a government official warned that U.S. agriculture may never regain lost market share stemming from the trade war. China alleges that “many countries have the willingness” and capacity to take over market share occupied by U.S. goods. Since the trade war began, China has imposed duties on 90 percent of agricultural goods from the United States. China charges that addition tariffs will cause “a great decrease” in exports from the U.S. with “limited impact” on China due to diversified import sources. China’s vice agriculture minister also claimed that Chinese companies had “basically stopped” importing soybeans from U.S. farmers and would deal with the impact by finding alternative ingredients for animal feeds. China is the world’s biggest importer of soybeans, which it uses to make cooking oil, biodiesel and livestock feed.