Ag News: Chipping Potatoes to Japan and Ag Innovation Agenda-USDA

**Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has informed USDA that U.S. chipping potatoes are now allowed to enter year-round.

Previously, the import protocol for U.S. chipping potatoes was from February 1st thru July 30th.

National Potato Council Vice President of Trade Affairs,

Jared Balcom says year-round access for U.S. fresh chip-stock potatoes will deepen our relationship with our number one trading partner and support continued growth of the U.S. potato industry.

**Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide initiative to align resources, programs, and research to better meet future global demands.

Specifically, the USDA will stimulate innovation so American ag can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. ag in half by 2050.

Perdue says this is our opportunity to define American agriculture's role to feed everyone and do right as a key player in this challenge.

**The signing of decision coordinating federal and state water projects offers a hopeful sign, according to

California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson.

Johansson says the action will add much-needed flexibility to operation of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project.

He also thanked President Trump for signing a memo directing federal agencies to coordinate efforts to store more water, offer regulatory certainty and improve protection of protected species.