Perdue on H-2A Reform and Canada Dairy Pricing Policy

Perdue on H-2A Reform and Canada Dairy Pricing Policy

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I'm Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.

**Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue expressed support for several ag programs at the United Fresh Convention in Chicago last week, including H-2A reform.

According to growingproduce.com, speaking prior to the House voting down the most recent immigration bill, Secretary Perdue said the fruit and vegetable industry needs a better solution for guestworkers than the "cumbersome" H-2A.

He expressed a desire to streamline the guestwroker system, but acknowledged only Congress can make the changes needed to truly improve the program.

http://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/perdue-high-h-2a-reform-streamlined-food-safety-inspections/

**U.S. farmers are planting fewer acres with corn and soybeans this year, while sowing more wheat, cotton and sorghum.

The USDA's National Ag Statistics Service reports the area planted with corn is estimated at 89.1 million acres, down 1 percent from 2017 while the planted area for soybeans is estimated at 89.6 million acres, also down 1 percent.

As reported in Agri-Pulse, all-wheat planted area for 2018 is estimated at 47.8 million acres, up 4 percent from 2017, but the second-lowest since records began in 1919.

https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/11180-us-farmers-planting-fewer-corn-soybean-acres-more-wheat

**Canada's largest dairy-producing province wants the nation to reconsider its new milk price policy to ease tensions with the U.S.

Quebec Premier Pilippe Couillard tells Bloomberg the perception is that Canada's new class 7 milk pricing was enacted to hurt competitiveness of American products.

Couillard, who met Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue last week, says the policy seems to be the main sticking point, not Canada's supply management-system.

https://www.agweb.com/article/quebec-says-canada-should-rethink-milk-pricing/

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