China will be huge for U.S. beef. That’s the conclusion of U.S. negotiators and the U.S. cattle industry, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get there and the Chinese will have to come through on major promises over the next two months that were made in the “phase one” deal that was signed last week in the White House.

The trade war between the U.S. and China could go on for months or years, according to erratic statements from the White House, but for the first time in weeks, there is renewed optimism because China has agreed to new negotiations.

The Trump administration is adamant that agriculture and all of the divisive policies and regulations that go along with it should be included in trade talks with the Europeans, but success could mean a long and arduous battle at a time when a trade war with China is being fought and other potentially lucrative trade pacts are being negotiated.

President Donald Trump is blurring the lines between immigration and trade by continuing to threaten Mexico with tariffs for its border security policies. Ag sectors in both countries fear the lingering tensions may weigh heavily on their businesses as well as the fate of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Multiple sources agree that African Swine Fever, first confirmed in China on Aug. 2, 2018, in the northeastern city of Shenyang, is ravaging the Asian giant’s pork industry in a way that will have impacts on global protein production and feed consumption for several years in the future.