WASHINGTON, March 27, 2020 – USDA Rural Development has launched a COVID-19 resource page to keep our customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated on actions taken by the Agency to help rural residents, businesses, and communities impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Visit www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus for information on Rural Development loan payment assistance, application deadline extensions, and more.
For hemp farmers who have found that the Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) hemp product might not fit their particular needs and want to insure at a higher per-acre coverage than traditional crops, the product offered by DCIS Parametric may be a good tool to provide protection against adverse growing conditions.
Policies developed for every county in the lower 48 states and final offerings subject to State Law and State Filing approval.
China is paving the way for an eventual reopening of its market to U.S. dried distillers grains by announcing a list of U.S. companies that are eligible to export the product, according to documents and sources.
U.S. companies are not exporting any DDGs to China now because of high tariffs, but U.S. negotiators fought to get China to agree in the “phase one” trade pact to re-certify U.S. producers to sell to their Chinese clients in preparation for an eventual resumption in trade.
China agreed in the pact to update a long list of U.S. ethanol companies to export the DDGs, and now the country’s General Administration of Customs has done exactly that, releasing a list of 88 U.S. companies on its web site.
China was once the largest foreign market for U.S. DDGs, but trade was halted after the Chinese government levied steep anti-dumping tariffs and countervailing duties on the corn-based product used for livestock feed about three years ago. Since then, the licenses of many U.S. exporters have expired or soon will expire, according to industry sources.
The U.S. exported 6.5 million metric tons of DDGs to China in 2015, worth $1.6 billion, according to the U.S. Grains Council.
“We had a great market and we were loading containers that were going straight to China,” says Randall Doyal, CEO of the Minnesota-based Al-Corn, which is included on the list of 88 U.S. companies. “It was great.”
The tariffs need to be removed, said one industry source, but the fact that China has agreed to the certification of U.S. suppliers is a “key part” of resuming trade. “If you can’t get the permit, it doesn’t matter if there are no tariffs or 100% tariffs, so it’s an important issue,” the source said.
Doyal confirmed the importance of China agreeing to the permits.
“If we can get this knocked out ahead of time, when they finally decide they need the feed, that’s when they’ll remove the tariffs,” he told Agri-Pulse. “And we want to make sure we’re ready to roll.”
Chinese anti-dumping and countervailing duties – as high as 96% – remain in place and continue to prevent trade. U.S. government officials tell Agri-Pulse that they are leaning on China to lift the tariffs, but have not yet been successful.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com
The Minnesota Industrial Hemp Association (MIHA), a broad coalition of businesses and individuals who advocate for the re-emerging industrial hemp sector from field to consumer, announced today the organization’s support for Chairman Collin Peterson’s bill (H.R. 5587) that would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the regulation of hemp-derived cannabidiol and hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substances.
“The Minnesota Industrial Hemp Association recognizes the important role FDA plays in evaluating the safety and efficacy of CBD safety regarding a variety of products. We also have an appreciation of the role Congress plays in oversight of federal agencies to ensure the executive branch meets congressional intent” said MIHA President Dave Ladd.
“The explicit language in the bill that ‘hemp-derived cannabidiol or a hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substance’ are exempt from the drug exclusionary provision as it applies to food and dietary supplement products would remove one of the roadblocks for the re-emerging industrial hemp sector and would adhere to the intent of Congress when crafting the 2018 Farm Bill”.
For additional information, contact the association at info@mnindustrialhemp.com or visit mnindustrialhemp.com.
RDL & Associates, LLC 