The U.S. government has been spending directly on agricultural-support programs ever since the Great Depression.  “Most of these [programs] were put in place in the 1930s originally as temporary programs,” said Joseph Glauber, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Here we are, however many years later, and they’re ingrained.”Over the century following the country’s founding, the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

President Donald Trump is likely to get one of the best headlines of his presidency on Friday with a highly tweetable report expected to show the U.S. economy grew at its fastest rate in years in the second quarter.But the big number risks becoming fool’s gold.Economists warn that Trump’s trade war sped up U.S. exports in the second quarter as China and other countries rushed to snap up American soybeans and other products ahead of impending tariffs, lifting growth in ways likely to be reversed in the coming months. [node:read-more:link]

It’s a favourite grievance in President Donald Trump’s Twitter blasts at his northern neighbour: “Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. Farmers … Canada has treated our Agricultural business and Farmers very poorly.”The source of Trump’s ire is the supply-management system that controls milk production in Canada and limits imports from the U.S.; America’s NAFTA negotiators want it dismantled.Even in Canada, critics view supply management as an anti-competitive tool that artificially inflates consumer prices, while other trading partners have also complained. [node:read-more:link]

Veteran farmer Ron Heck, who produces 100,000 bushels of soybeans a year on his family farm in central Iowa, likes President Trump's big-picture plans to negotiate a fair trade deal with China that would improve market access and lower export fees. And he hopes the U.S. tariffs on China will hasten that outcome. But Heck also fears that such a deal could exact a crippling cost from farmers like him. He has relied on China's sizable appetite for U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Powered by lactose-free innovation, dairy is challenging the dominance of plant milks, with US sales of lactose-free milk set to catch up with – and perhaps even overtake – almond milk. [node:read-more:link]

ive poultry in backyard flocks are linked to several multistate outbreaks of salmonella infections that have now sickened 212 people in 44 states, federal health officials warned.  The most recent illnesses began on June 21, with 88 of the cases reported in the last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said in an advisory. The federal agency is working with multiple states in investigating several outbreaks of salmonella infections linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks, it said.  [node:read-more:link]

This week, we are looking at NAM’s state data report from 2017 that looks at which states are employing the most manufacturing workers. Below are the top 10. New York – The state employs 451,200. The state is focusing on advanced materials, with this sector bringing in $5 billion. South Carolina – The state employs 460,200 and is the country’s top car exporter. [node:read-more:link]

For a sixth straight month the overall index rose above growth neutral.  Almost one-third of bank CEOs recommended that the Federal Reserve leave short-term interest rates at their current levels for the rest of the year. More than three of five, or 78 percent, of bank CEOs reported that current trade skirmishes and rising tariffs have had a negative impact on their local economy. Approximately 75.6 percent of bankers reported negative impacts of trade rifts and tariffs on grain farmers in their area. Economic confidence plummeted among bankers for the month.
  [node:read-more:link]