Vilsack: Japan Trade Deal Lags Behind TPP For Dairy

Last week, the Trump Administration celebrated the signing of a partial bilateral trade deal with Japan. Agriculture concerns were addressed in this partial trade pact. The idea was to get agricultural exports to Japan back on an even playing field with the members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This has been accomplished, for the most part. A voice for the dairy industry says this agreement doesn’t give their industry the same level playing field as TPP would have.

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The EPA Strikes Again

Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network — On October 4th, there was an announcement from the Trump Administration about a deal that had been worked out to try and restore some credibility to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The worry has been over the wholesale granting of small refinery exemptions (SREs) by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The President assured the ethanol industry would release a supplemental rule in accordance with the announcement. On Tuesday afternoon, that proposal was released, and it is drawing much backlash from the supporters of biofuels.

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Iowa Crop Progress & Condition Report

In addition to the first freeze of the season, Iowa experienced drier weather this past week; however, wet field conditions remained an issue for farmers as they were limited to 3.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending October 13, 2019, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field work activities included chopping silage and harvesting hay, seed corn, soybeans and corn for grain. Read more