WOTUS Reinstated and Trade Time Out with China

WOTUS Reinstated and Trade Time Out with China

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

**The Waters of the United States rule has been reinstated by a Washington state federal judge.

Agweb.com reports, it was ruled the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers made a "serious procedural error" by reinstating the pre-2015 WOTUS.

Earlier this year the agencies took comment on delaying the Obama administration's definition of WOTUS until February 2020, but did not take comments on the substance of the pre-2015 rule.

The ruling vacates the pre-2015 WOTUS rule nationwide.

https://www.agweb.com/article/wotus-rule-reinstated-by-federal-judge/

**It's being called a "trade timeout." President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jingping met at the G20 and agreed the U.S. will halt further tariff increases on January 1st while China agreed to purchase "substantial" amounts of American goods including soybeans.

According to agweb.com, analysts point out the tariffs are still in place and could become permanent despite this twist.

The initial tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports could be in place until it is clear China has kept its promises.

https://www.agweb.com/article/initial-chinese-tariffs-could-become-permanent-despite-trade-truce/

**The USDA's Economic Research Service is forecasting a roughly 5% decline in the value of dairy exports next year.

ERS estimates U.S. dairy exports will total $5.3 billion next year, down from the $5.6 billion forecast in August.

In 2018, ERS is showing the year will end at about $5.588 billion in export sales.

Amid weakening global dairy prices, the ERS forecast

suggests volumes might not decrease much.

https://www.milkbusiness.com/article/usda-forecasting-slight-decline-dairy-export-values-2019?mkt_tok

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