Diplo-Speak The WTO Agriculture Committee met yesterday and discussed various members' perceived indiscretions by other countries, with questions posed and information requested. It is a process of monitoring whether members are complying with their commitments (they're not). The actual proceedings eventually get published, but a review of the notes from the March 21 meeting evidence the extremely polite way in which the discussions are documented (with editorial comments in parentheses):
Illegal Costa Rican Rice Subsidies: "Canada appreciates the updates ... What concrete steps has Costa Rica taken ... [on] the continued high subsidy rate ... The United States strongly urges [their reduction]." (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.)...
Key Takeaways: President Trump announced $8 billion in additional agricultural assistance through the Harvest Fuel Relief Program, as USDA projects farm fuel and oil expenses will increase 28.8 percent in 2026. The package follows $12 billion in earlier relief, while government farm payments w...
Key Takeaways: A student group from the University of Chicago is protesting to bring back onion futures trading. Trading in onion futures was banned in 1958 following a spectacular bout of market manipulation that resulted in a corner of the physical market. The ban on onion futures led t...
Beef packer margins deteriorated to $141/head last week, down $55 from the prior week as fed cattle prices strengthened while the Choice cutout remained nearly unchanged. The cutout held near $373/cwt while fed cattle prices climbed $4/cwt to $224/cwt, narrowing processor profits. Despite the d...
