By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I was on the farm last week. We did get some corn planted but then the rain came again. Last year at this time we had all our corn and soybeans planted. The later we are in getting the seed in the ground the lower the yield. As of […]
Anxiety in Farm Country Read More »
On Wednesday, May 8th, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced plans to increase tariffs to 25 percent on approximately $200 billion worth of goods imported from China. These goods are already subject to an additional 10 percent tariff pursuant to USTR’s September 2018 actions. USTR is applying these tariffs pursuant to a Section 301 investigation
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Is this a global economy or what? We have been in a trade war with China for nearly 2 years. Farm and ranch exports have suffered a dramatic set back. Soybean prices are in the tank and corn is not looking much better right now. Our domestic market can’t
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Last Sunday former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar died. He served 36 years in the U.S. Senate – what an outstanding leader and great guy. In 1985 we had to write and pass a new farm bill. As Secretary of Agriculture I wanted to create the Conservation Reserve Program. I
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. This weekend I will be on my farm in Illinois. When I booked my flight, I thought we might be planting corn. Not likely – too much rain. At this moment I am looking at the latest U.S. Dept of Agriculture projections for crop carry over after harvesting this
On Friday, April 12, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) initiated an investigation to enforce the United States’ rights resulting from the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute that the US filed against the European Union (EU) challenging EU subsidies on large civil aircraft. The action that USTR is proposing is the levy of additional duties on
U.S. Trade Representative Requests Comments on Potential E.U. Tariffs Read More »
On April 3, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule that lowers the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in some bottled water products. If finalized, the rule would place an upper limit of 0.7 milligrams per liter of fluoride in bottled water to which fluoride is added. The proposed limits would
FDA Proposes New Fluoride Limits for Bottled Water Read More »
Earlier this week, the FDA made significant movement on issues and policy involving cannabis and its components, including cannabidiol (CBD). The agency issued a notice in the Federal Register announcing a hearing and requesting comments on “scientific data and information about products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds.” 84 Fed. Reg. 12,969. FDA and the Federal
FDA Begins to Move on CBD Policy and Enforcement Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. What should we focus on today? Let’s start with African Swine Fever. ASF is the deadliest disease threatening the pork industry. It is estimated that China has lost as much as 30% of their swine. We don’t have any vaccine to protect our pigs. Fortunately, the virus does not
Swine Fever & USMCA Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. After 2 long years of distraction and political attacks, Special Counsel Mueller released his report. “The Trump campaign did not conspire or coordinate with the Russian government.” “The Witch Hunt” is over and done with. The cloud is lifted. Attorney General William Barr ruled- “No evidence to support obstruction
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Let’s begin with hemp. When I was a little boy, hemp was growing wild on the roadsides and ditches. It was harvested to make rope during World War II. It is a close relative of marijuana, but it is not the same. Our government still outlawed the growing of
As initially announced last week by outgoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., the compliance dates for FDA’s agricultural water quality requirements under the “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption” rule (Produce Rule) are being extended. Today, FDA published a final rule in the Federal
FDA Extends Compliance Date for The Produce Rule’s Agricultural Water Requirement Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Issues of the Day. The President’s Budget. If everything goes according to plan, when we enter our next fiscal year, October 1, we will have a budget passed by the Congress with President Trump’s signature. The process has started. It is a 4.7 trillion-dollar budget. President Trump wants an
President’s Budget Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Did you know that Congress passed legislation authorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund to spend 9 billion dollars to buy private land? The Department of Interior doesn’t have the money to take care of the millions of acres they own now. This “land grab” bill, 700 pages in
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Priority government issues of the day would have to be trade negotiations with China and President Trump’s meeting with N. Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Our Ag industry has been hurt because China stopped buying our products when President Trump imposed tariffs on a long list of Chinese exports. He
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Our economy is booming. Job growth in 2018 averaged 220,000 new jobs each month. 419,000 workers have come back to work. The labor force participation rate is up to 63.1 percent. Wages are up an impressive 3.2 percent. Unemployment for blacks, Hispanics, and women is at historic lows. Manufacturing
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Optimism is in the air. Pessimism is being crowded out. The second government shut down that looked like a certainty is not going to happen. President Trump will not get the amount of money he wanted for a wall, but he gets enough to get started. It will be
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block This week I was in Peoria, Illinois speaking to the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association. I am on my farm now broadcasting on the phone. Farmers and ag suppliers had a lot of concerns about the government shut down. But now that the shut down is behind us for
With the government back to work, at least for 3 weeks, now is a good time to reflect on the impact of the shutdown, in the hope that history will not repeat itself in this instance. We have all heard stories of the personal and financial toll the government shutdown had on federal workers, contractors
Reflections on Product Safety Impacts of the Government Shutdown Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block For some time now on the question of trade, all we have focused on is our trade war with China. I will talk about that today. But I also want to remind everyone that trade differences with Europe should also be in the spotlight. China – we just completed
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Christmas is behind us and the New Year is off to a wild start. But today, I want to talk about the Cabinet Secretaries luncheon that we held on December 14, just before Christmas. The luncheon was held at the Blair House – just across the street from the
In all the drama and commotion over the government shutdown, now in its third week, with 800,000 federal employees going without paychecks and services disappearing by the day, all prompted by President Trump’s insistence on funding his proposed Mexican border wall and Congressional Democrats’ refusal to provide it, has anyone stopped to notice how frankly
Government shutdowns – Who dreamed up this crazy idea? Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Last week, I attended the beautiful service at the National Cathedral for our 41st President George H.W. Bush. On the radio, I talked about the George Bush that I knew. This week, we will move on. Here is where we are right now. We are more than two months
Congressional Agenda Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. The passing of President George H. W. Bush has brought the whole nation to focus on his life and the contributions that he made to our country. President Reagan brought the Soviet Union down, but President Bush managed the clean-up of the Cold War. Eastern Europe emerged from the
At this time of year, we celebrate blessings large and small. For product sellers, consumers, and others who are interested in both product safety and the administrative process, the new make-up of the CPSC is one of those blessings worth celebrating. The agency has reassessed its approach to its mission of protecting consumers. It is allocating its
Just in Time for Thanksgiving: Britax Settlement Signals Common-Sense Thinking at CPSC Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Thank you, God, for all of our blessings. Look at the turmoil, poverty, and destruction around the world. On this Thanksgiving Day, let’s not fail to appreciate our nation and our people. (I’m glad that we live here.) The cost of your Thanksgiving dinner has fallen for the third
Elite Food Standards and More Read More »
As the Trump administration moves forward with its trade agenda focused on bilateral agreements, the Office of the U. S. Trade Representative (USTR) has invited comments from stakeholders on potential trade agreements with the post-Brexit
USTR Requests Comments on Negotiating Objectives for Potential Deals with UK, EU & Japan Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Last week was really busy. Three days at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention in Kansas City. If you listen to farm radio, your broadcaster was probably there. I’ve been going for almost 40 years. After Kansas City, I went to our farm. Harvest is all in the
Uganda is in the final stages of debating biosafety legislation that will make it possible for the country to begin using genetically modified (GM) agricultural plants, such as bacterial wilt-resistant bananas, brown streak virus-resistant cassavas and insect-resistant maize. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Uganda must have a biosafety law in
Report from Uganda Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Yes, I have something to say about the mid-term elections, and I will get to that in a minute. But first, we have been worried about the trade disputes with China and how their tariffs have cost us. Finally, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are going to
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. There has been a lot going on in the last week. I will focus on some of those topics. One of the saddest happenings would be the deadly attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh by a lone anti-Semitic gunman. Eleven were killed just because they were
Election and Hate Crimes Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Some good news – President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires in November. Can they jump start a process to resolve our trade war? We hope. The European Union has agreed to give the U.S. a larger share of their
The European Union Court of Justice’s (ECJ) recent decision that new gene-editing techniques must go through the same lengthy approval process as traditional transgenic genetically modified (GM) plants has sent shock waves around the world and its greatest impact will be on those who are hungry and food insecure. The decision will have a direct
Opinion: The EU Gene-Editing Decision: Parliament Should Not Let it Stand Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. When President Trump announced a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, he said: “It is a very big deal for farmers. The new NAFTA, which is USMCA, has a very good ring. The ag industry across the country applauds the deal.” The deal is not done yet. Congress
Issues and Opportunities Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I want to talk about a frog today, but before the frog hops up on the table – just a few words on the subject of trade. The U.S. trade deficit rose in August to $53.2 billion. That’s up $3.2 billion. A decline in soybean and oil exports is
