Ag News: Mexican Tomato Suspension and Cal Wine Grape Harvest
**In a decision that keeps the tomato suspension agreement between Mexican growers and the Department of Commerce in place, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled Mexican tomatoes sold at less than “fair value” threaten the domestic industry.
According to thepacker.com, the ITC determined the U.S. tomato industry is threatened by imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico, agreeing they’re sold in the U.S. at less than fair value.
As a result, the suspension remains in effect.
**The 2019 winegrape harvest started a week or two later than usual in many California wine regions, but because many of the grapes were still in winter dormancy, heavy February rains had no impact.
And, according to agrimarketing.com, October wildfires did not impact this year's harvest since most of the winegrapes were already in.
The USDA's August Crop Report estimates the 2019 yield at 4.2 million tons, 2% less than 2018 and a bit higher than the historical average of 3.9 million tons.
**Despite USDA reporting that October milk production rose 1.7%, milk prices continue to remain higher.
Vault Ag’s Brian Rice tells agweb.com, right now, it's on firm footing, but as we get into January, that could change.
U.S. cheese prices are much higher than the rest of the world, and Rice fears pricing resets and forward contracting resets will lead to trouble exporting U.S. cheese.