trade war

A variety of political and economic factors, including the increased reliance on tariffs and ongoing tensions with China, have negatively impacted the growth of international trade in Washington over the past couple of years.  A new report released Tuesday by the Washington Council on International Trade, details the affect these factors have had on the state’s economy.  The repo...

International issues always have a big impact, either good or bad, on the U.S. farm economy. “On the grains side the big gorilla is the Russia/Ukrainian conflict.  But for the other crops, what really matters is how competitive we stay in the external markets, and right now, I think the big question is what happens to the value of the U.S. dollar?” ...

Predicting the health of the Washington farm economy in 2022 looks to be more challenging than a typical year. Washington State University’s Dr. Randy Fortenbery said one of the most notable changes will come in the form of an elimination of government subsidies and payments. The ...

Despite not living up to their Phase One trade agreement, China is still the top export market for U.S. agricultural products. "We're glad to see that exports have bounced back, if you will, in that market.  2021 saw three times the level of exports than in 2018 when we had the trade dispute," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the recent USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum. "W

During February's USDA Outlook Forum, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai discussed China during. "The overall relationship with China is a really, really important one; profoundly consequential.  But it is also a complicated one and becoming increasingly complex." ...

Last week, the USDA released its export forecast. American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Economist Veronica Nigh said the projections spell good news for farmers and ranchers. "USDA is projecting another banner year for U.S. ag exports ...

China failed to reach the Phase One Agreement commitments to purchase U.S. goods and services, including agricultural commodities. The U.S. Trade Representative's office revealed the data in a more than 70-page report this week. "The reality is that this Agreement did not meaningfully address the more fundamental concerns that the United States has with China's state-led, non-market policie

Critics say the Administration is not doing enough make China live up to it's commitments in the Phase One trade agreement, or to do other things to boost agricultural trade in general. "Its not correct to suggest that we have not done anything," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently told the House Ag Committee that, yes, the China is $16 billion short when it comes to their promise

New data from Economic Research Service shows retaliatory tariffs reduced U.S. ag exports annually by $13.2 billion. Specifically, the research points to six trading partners, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Mexico, and Turkey, that announced retaliatory tariffs affecting agriculture and food products in 2018 ...

When it was all said and done, China wound up $16 billion short of achieving its obligations under the Phase One Trade Deal. The Biden administration is looking for ways to keep China buying agricultural products. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack told the House Ag Committee last week that the administration is “putting them on notice that we want them to live up to the agreement.” ...