It’s time for another episode of Wiesemeyer and Haney discussing all the big agricultural topics impacting farmers and ranchers in Canada and the United States! As we hit the end of February, the news cycle shows no signs of slowing down. This week, Shaun Haney of RealAgriculture, and Jim Wiesemeyer, D.C. policy analyst with Pro… Read More
Category: US Ag Policy
A federal court in the U.S. has pulled the Environmental Protection Agency’s over-the-top (OTT) registration of three products containing dicamba — XtendiMax, Engenia, and Tavium. The court found the EPA violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, or FIFRA — that it failed to follow notice-and-comment requirements — when granting its approval for these… Read More
There were major files up for discussion this week at the trilateral meeting of cattle industry representatives from Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the Canadian Cattle Association, was on hand representing Canada’s interest at the meeting, tackling the biggest policy and political issues facing the industry. Shaun Haney met… Read More
The possibility that Canadian cattle and beef will face market discrimination if the U.S. government moves ahead with a new labeling rule is one of the main concerns representatives from the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) are raising while meeting with American counterparts at the 2024 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Orlando, Florida…. Read More
The U.S. Farm Bill is a huge, overarching piece of legislation that encompasses crop insurance, disaster programming, and so much more. Similar to Canada, hammering out the full details of each bill is a drawn-out process, complicated by partisan politics, competing priorities, and finding common ground. To dig in to several parts of the bill… Read More
Lawmakers in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have now proposed legislation aimed at guaranteeing farmers have the right-to-repair agricultural equipment. Washington Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez introduced the Agricultural Right to Repair Act in the House last week. The bill closely mirrors legislation put forward by Montana Democrat Senator Jon Tester in… Read More
Government policies that promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) are unlikely to make a major dent in future demand for renewable diesel, says an author of a recent report on the future of the renewable diesel market. Unlike biodiesel, renewable diesel can be directly substituted in diesel engines. Production capacity in the U.S. is… Read More
The Conservative Party of Canada and leader Pierre Poilievre have clearly made the Clean Fuel Regulation (CFR) a target in political messaging, tagging it as the “second carbon tax.” For advocates of biofuels in farm country and Ottawa this should be a wake-up call for the longer term development of the biofuel sector in Canada…. Read More
EPA announced a final rule Wednesday to establish renewable volume obligations (RVO) and associated percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for 2023–2025. The industry had been waiting for this final rule after a disappointing proposed rule months ago. Stakeholders’ reaction to the final rule was consistently negative,… Read More
The Government of Canada has formally responded to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service’s proposal to change its Product of U.S.A. labeling requirements. The proposed rule changes stipulate an animal must be born, raised, and processed in the U.S. to carry the Product of U.S.A. label. Though voluntary, there are concerns in Canada that… Read More
The Canadian government has not yet decided whether it will join the U.S. in its trade dispute over Mexico’s restrictions on agricultural biotechnology. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai formally requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA or USMCA) trade agreement on Friday. The dispute revolves around Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s… Read More
The international agricultural landscape is witnessing a troubling trend towards protectionism. In past eras, protectionism was enabled through prohibitive tariffs that blocked trade. World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and bilateral trade agreements have largely eliminated tariffs from the protectionists’ toolbox, but, as evidenced by recent events, there are other ways in which trade can be… Read More
The federal budget announced earlier this week had a handful of agriculture-related commitments, including $333 million over 10 years for the establishment of the Dairy Innovation and Investment Fund. The fund, set to be administered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is for research and development of new products that use solids non-fat (SNF), market development for… Read More
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and CNH Industrial brands Case IH and New Holland have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that provides farmers and ranchers the right to repair their own farm equipment. The MOU follows a similar agreement AFBF entered into with John Deere earlier this year. Zippy Duval, AFBF president, says… Read More
Canada’s meat industry is sorting out what the United States Department of Agriculture’s proposed “Product of USA” label changes could mean for marketing cattle and hogs to Canada’s largest trading partner. While the proposed language change is in reference to a voluntary label, the jury is still out on whether or not the proposal contravenes… Read More