By Max Fisher, Director of Economics and Government Relations The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports on Aug. 12 provided the market with a great deal of information, including projections for more corn acres than the market expected due to inclement weather throughout the year. USDA projected corn yields at 169.5 bushels per acre, which is down 6.9 bushels from 2018 but 3.5 bushels per acre higher than the 166 bushels per acre projected in last month’s WASDE report. Soybean yields were left ... Read More
Newsletter
NGFA joins shipper groups in urging STB to reject RR petition that would constrain agency
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO The NGFA this week joined three other shipper organizations in submitting a statement to the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) urging that it reject a request from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to reconsider the agency’s previous decision deferring action on a railroad petition that would require the agency to conduct cost-benefit analyses on virtually all rulemaking proceedings. The NGFA, American Chemistry Council, The Fertilizer Institute and the National Industrial Traffic League maintain that requiring such cost-benefit ... Read More
U.S. DOT proposes more flexible trucking rules
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing to change the hours-of-service rules for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The proposal, published Aug. 14, includes provisions supported by the NGFA that would increase flexibility for CMV drivers given the spike in freight rates that followed implementation of the electronic logging device mandate. In the proposal, FMCSA included NGFA’s recommendation to extend the time and distance that a CMV driver may operate under the short-haul exception from 12 to 14 hours and from ... Read More
NGFA interviews new CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert
Heath Tarbert, who officially began his term as the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on July 15, took the time to answer several questions posed by NGFA about the rulemaking agenda for the agency under his leadership. Tarbert was nominated by President Trump and approved unanimously by the Senate Agriculture Committee before being confirmed as chairman by the Senate in June with a broad, bipartisan vote of 84-9. The NGFA authored and coordinated a letter signed by 25 national production agriculture and agribusiness groups in support of Tarbert’s confirmation, ... Read More
U.S., China consult by phone as Trump delays imposition of some additional 10 percent tariffs
Top U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators this week talked by phone and made plans to resume telephonic communications in two weeks. According to a statement released by one of China’s state-run media outlets, XinhuaNet, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, joined by Commerce Minister Zhong Shan and Ning Jizhe, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, conducted the call on Aug. 13 with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, during which “China lodged solemn representations concerning U.S additional tariffs on…Chinese imports ... Read More
AAFCO workshop addresses FSMA implementation
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) workshop hosted by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) on Aug. 4 in conjunction with its annual meeting attracted over 110 attendees to Louisville, Ky., to receive updates and perspectives on the implementation of FSMA-related regulations. Information provided during the workshop by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state regulators primarily focused on the FSMA-related rule for Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP), Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based ... Read More
NGFA supports new pilot program that expands pool of truck drivers
The NGFA commended the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for considering a second pilot program to allow drivers aged 18, 19, and 20 to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. In an Aug. 6 statement submitted to the agency, NGFA said the pilot program has the potential to remove a significant impediment to efficient movement of goods in interstate commerce – the inconsistent minimum age rules for CMV drivers operating in interstate versus intrastate commerce. The minimum age for operating CMVs within ... Read More
U.S.-China trade dispute causes more confusion
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Aug. 6 that it would suspend all U.S. agricultural purchases in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a new 10 percent tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports starting Sept. 1. The country also said it would reverse its decision to exempt some soybean importers from tariffs starting Aug. 3. “This is a serious violation of the meeting between the heads of state of China and the United States,” the Chinese government said in a statement. In series of Aug. 1 tweets, Trump outlined his plan to impose new tariffs, saying China ... Read More
NGFA publishes new arbitration decisions
The following Arbitration Decisions were published on July 31: Case No. 2825 - Scott Keach v. Gavilon Grain, LLC Case No. 2826 - Hagan Brothers Farms/Mike Hagan v. Gavilon Grain, LLC Case No. 2827 - Jenkins Farms/Thomas E. Jenkins v. Gavilon Grain, LLC For a full listing of arbitration decisions, visit the website. ... Read More
Senators urge STB to take action on rail rate reforms
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and John Kennedy, R-La., encouraged the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to move forward with rail rate reform in a July 25 letter to STB commissioners. “We…encourage the Board to move expeditiously on next steps that support a competitive and reliable rail system for all stakeholders, including freight rail shippers,” they wrote. Earlier this year, the STB released its Rate Reform Task Force Report, which contained multiple recommendations for how the agency could improve its processes ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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