Articles by Oliver Ward

The Biden administration should press Colombia to prevent a probe into U.S. corn subsidies, a bipartisan group of lawmakers say. 

The Agriculture Department has suspended cattle imports from Mexico after a confirmed case of New World screwworm in the southern state of Chiapas.

Jamieson Greer, an Air Force veteran and international trade lawyer, has been selected to serve as U.S. trade representative, the Trump transition said on Tuesday.

The Agriculture Department projects that the U.S. agricultural trade deficit will widen this fiscal year to $45.5 billion, an increase on the previous estimate as imports grow faster than expected.

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he will sign a series of executive orders on his first day in office to impose new duties on imports from Canada, Mexico and China over what he characterized as their inaction on border security and fentanyl smuggling. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum touted efforts to substitute Chinese imports with locally produced alternatives and downplayed comments from Canadian policymakers that raised questions over Mexico’s future in a North American trade pact.

President-elect Donald Trump has picked hedge fund manager and Scott Bessent as his Treasury Secretary nominee, prompting criticism from Senate Finance Democrats of "rich political donor" potentially helming the department. 

Agri-Pulse’s Lydia Johnson caught up with California Rep. Jim Costa Thursday night to talk about his challenge to Georgia Rep. David Scott for the top Democratic slot on the House Ag Committee. Costa repeatedly stressed that he could be a “strong voice” for the minority.

A raft of new trade and development deals inked by the Chinese and Brazilian governments on Wednesday, including agreements to boost several agriculture exports, indicates that Beijing is preparing for a Trump presidency, according to analysts. 

Key lawmakers are working on a two-pronged approach to help row crop producers who’ve been hit by the downturn in commodity markets. A lot of work remains to be done, but the goal is to attach some kind of ag relief to a one-year farm bill extension in December.