Articles by Bill Tomson

U.S. government and industry officials are applauding Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen’s Friday announcement that the country will be lifting restrictions that limit imports of U.S. beef and pork.

The conventions are now over, and one thing seems pretty clear: Two or three battleground Midwest states could decide the presidential election.

The USDA is reporting Thursday yet another large Chinese purchase of U.S. corn, reinforcing assessments that the country’s demand for the grain is strong as it tries to rebuild its swine herd.

Vice President Mike Pence used his acceptance speech from Fort McHenry Wednesday night to defend President Trump’s trade war with China, an issue Democrats are trying to use against the president in farm country.

The quick pace of U.S. soybean and corn sales – particularly to China - is one of the biggest factors behind a new USDA forecast that shows U.S. ag exports rising to $140.5 billion in fiscal year 2021, which starts Oct. 1.

Republicans used Day Two of their convention to make a full-throated defense of President Trump’s trade policies with testimonials of a dairy farmer and others.

Rapidly rising almond production coupled with trade wars and COVID-19 impacts have cut prices for farmers nearly in half over the past year and they won’t likely fully recover for at least a couple of seasons, says Roland Fumasi, a senior analyst for Rabobank.

The USDA announced Tuesday that Chinese importers contracted to buy hefty new amounts of U.S. corn and soybeans just hours after top U.S. and Chinese trade officials met Monday night to review progress of the “phase one” trade pact.

U.S. Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin talked by phone Monday evening with China’s Vice Premier Liu He about progress on the “phase one” trade agreement.

Come Nov. 3 President Donald Trump says he’s expecting to get a substantial boost at the ballot box from Bernie Sanders supporters, primarily based on Trump’s hard-line trade tactics with China.