soybeans

**USDA requirements for exporting U.S. beef to China are out, opening a key market that’s been closed for more than 13 years. The U.S. Meat Export Federation’s Thad Lively says the requirements for China still go beyond those imposed by most international destinations, and will include testing for residues from synthetic hormones and beta agonists...

**USDA requirements for exporting U.S. beef to China are out, opening a key market that’s been closed for more than 13 years. The U.S. Meat Export Federation’s Thad Lively says the requirements for China still go beyond those imposed by most international destinations, and will include testing for residues from synthetic hormones and beta agonists...

**A Senate energy bill that failed to make it through the last Congress will be the starting point for talks in this Congress That’s according to top Senate staffers on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Speaking at the Energy & Environmental Symposium, ENR learership sounded optimistic about the chances for agreement. ...

**A growing concern among U.S. lawmakers and food manufacturers that they’ll see the price of sugar go up if the sugar refining industry gets what it’s demanding from Mexico. A group of 51 House members has signed onto a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross not to go through with some proposals like raising the floor price for raw and refined sugar and funneling some raw sugar imports directly

**A market research firm says U.S. meat sales will reach nearly $100 billion dollars by 2021. “Packaged Facts” reports demand for animal protein will continue to grow in the face of challenges from plant-based protein alternatives. The study examines current and predicted topics including consumer attitudes, value-added products, and animal welfare...

**Members of the Senate Ag Committee say they’ll need to stretch every dollar allocated in the 2018 Farm Bill. Regardless of the crops they grow, the Michigan farmers who testified at a Farm Bill hearing Saturday said a strong safety net program was at the top of their priority list...

**The FDA will have to sift through hundreds of comments containing often-conflicting advice as it tries to redefine the term “healthy” for use on food products. FDA accepted comments until April 26 and now has the unenviable task of trying to figure out how to balance the recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasizes the importance of dietary patterns with Am

**Farm incomes continue to drop and producers are having tougher times paying back loans, but the overarching agricultural credit system remains strong and bankers are doing what they can to help borrowers survive. That was the cohesive message presented by some of the biggest names in farm banking to members of the House Agriculture Committee last week as lawmakers look ahead to the 2018 farm bil

**Farmers and ranchers participating in the National Farmers Union Anniversary Convention endorsed several farm bill provisions designed to shore up farm income while “vehemently” opposing any spending cuts and recommending additional spending to shore up the farm safety net...

**The U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization is warning that mankind's future ability to feed itself is in jeopardy due to intensifying pressures on natural resources, mounting inequality, and the fallout from a changing climate. A new FAO report notes that although significant progress in reducing global hunger has been achieved over the past 30 years, "expanding food production and econo