(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. lawmakers skeptical of promises to shield farmers from trade dispute

Reading Time: 3 minutes Overland Park, Kan. | Reuters — U.S. lawmakers and the farm industry were skeptical of the Trump administration’s promise to shield farmers from the rapidly escalating trade dispute between the U.S. and China, concerned about the lack of details in protecting the agricultural export sector now embroiled in the back-and-forth. Major farming states supported U.S. […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle stumble on profit-taking

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle turned lower on Friday after profit-taking and fund liquidation gave back some of the market’s gains over the past two days, said traders. U.S. stocks’ plunge over trade war fears unnerved CME livestock investors still digesting Monday’s Chinese tariff hike on U.S. pork, with similar plans […] Read more




(WhiteHouse.gov)

Trump proposes US$100 billion more in new tariffs on China

Reading Time: < 1 minute Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had instructed U.S. trade officials to consider US$100 billion in additional tariffs on China, fueling an already heated trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies. Trump said in a statement the further tariffs were being considered “in light of China’s unfair retaliation” […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola watching U.S./China spat

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts moved steadily higher over the past week as grain markets reacted to a mounting trade dispute between China and the U.S. While no sanctions are yet in place, the back-and-forth sabre-rattling between the two countries now includes proposed Chinese tariffs on U.S. soybeans, which weighed heavily on […] Read more



Attendees at the 2017 Food and Hotel China trade show watch USMEF chefs prepare U.S. beef and pork. (USMEF.org)

U.S. meat groups fear for market growth with China beef tariff hike

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — China’s proposal on Wednesday for tariffs on U.S. beef confirmed the worst-case scenario for the U.S. cattle industry, trade groups said Wednesday, even as they remained hopeful the dispute could be resolved quickly. China listed U.S. goods from soybeans to beef that could potentially incur a 25 per cent import tariff […] Read more