Articles Tagged with ''almonds''

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is meeting with high-level trade officials and reconvening the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum to discuss India’s steep tariffs and other trade barriers, many of which are preventing or dampening U.S. exports of tree nuts, apples and dairy to the second-most populous nation in the world.

The rainy season is kicking off with enough moisture to ease some Californians’ water worries, but the long-term outlook for agriculture remains one that calls upon farmers to maximize “crop per drop.” In the case of almonds, one of the state’s most profitable crops, it could take decades to transition from existing trees to others that can achieve similar yields with less water.

A new variety of almond that does not rely on bees or an adjacent, different almond tree for pollination is now available.

Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., today introduced legislation to stop shipping companies from denying U.S. exporters the ability to get their commodities overseas as well as protect against excessive port fees.

Honey bee pollination services are worth between $250 million and $320 million annually, Economic Research Service said in a new report, which also valued the honey production market at about $330 million per year.

The U.S. sold about $20 million worth of peanuts to Japanese importers last year, but the American Peanut Council expects that American farmers will be able to sell a lot more in the coming years now that they have a tariff advantage over the Chinese.

Companies that make plant-based meat, egg and dairy alternatives have been heavily relying on imported crops for the ingredients they need and hope to convince more U.S. farmers to start growing peas, beans and other commodities.

Agreements by the U.S., European Union and the UK to suspend all tariffs tied to airplane subsidies may open the door to renewed efforts by the U.S. to strike separate free trade agreements with the British and Europeans, according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.

A nationwide cap and trade program hasn’t been on the legislative horizon since the idea died in Congress in 2010, but government and private market developers are counting on there being a robust demand for carbon offsets from a host of corporations, including energy companies, airlines and even major food companies, that need to offset their emissions.