Berwyn, B. (2018, November 24). Climate Change Puts U.S. Economy and Lives at Risk, and Costs Are Rising, Federal Agencies Warn. Retrieved November 25, 2018, from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/23112018/infographic-national-climate-assessment-us-economy-extreme-weather-global-warming-cost-lives-wildfires-agriculture-federal-report

Climate scientists working for the United States government issued a warning about the drastic problems that climate change could bring to the future of the country. With their statement, they issued warning about how climate change could affect aspects of agriculture such as dryness of land will increase, leaving crops at risk as well as could provide more fuel for potential wildfires. Other warnings involved the frequency increase of severe rainstorms and difficulties with water supply and quality which could devastate agricultural farmlands.

With this announcement, it seems to be a very grim future if the rate of climate change continues at the rate it is currently. However, it seems that there is a strong attempt by some to generate the change that would put the cap on the rate of climate change in upcoming years. This is a very pressing issue as something that resembles the future changes described would seem to devastate the agricultural way of life in some areas and leave many in disarray.

Murgatroyd, L. (2018, November 13). Missouri agriculture associations support new US, Mexico and Canada trade agreement. Retrieved November 23, 2018, from https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/missouri-agriculture-associations-support-new-us-mexico-and-canada-trade/article_eba2b876-de06-11e8-a36b-b7abdedc7286.html

After the closing of negotiations of a new trade deal between the United States, Mexico, and Canada which would come to replace NAFTA, agriculture associations in the state of Missouri seem optimistic about the future of the trade. If enacted, Missouri would see a reduction of tariffs and would also have more access to foreign dairy markets which would be a benefactor. Missouri associations also look forward to opportunities for more related trade agreements with other countries. However, the trade agreement that is currently on the table between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico has not yet been approved by all three governments.

In the article, it speaks about how industries in Missouri are looking forward towards international trade, especially in the Canadian dairy market. It seems that the emergence of this trade deal would allow American companies to spread and gain more customers across North America, which seems to be a negative component for Mexico and Canada. It will be interesting to see what other industries will be affected by this new deal and whether it helps or hurts some industries.

Brown, T. (Ed.). (2018, October 29). U.S. agriculture chief says no plan to extend farm aid to offset… Retrieved November 23, 2018, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-perdue/u-s-agriculture-chief-says-no-plan-to-extend-farm-aid-to-offset-tariffs-idUSKCN1N32JW

The United States Department of Agriculture announced that it has no intention of creating an aid package worth up to $12 billion dollars to give to farmers in compensation for the tariffs that had been imposed on American exports, which had costed farmers some business overseas. During the exchange of tariffs between the U.S. and China, American farmers saw some of their businesses negatively affected. In July, the Trump administration had authorized aid being sent to ranchers and farmers in the wake trading disputes. However, the USDA is grounded in their opinion about how farmers will continue to make good business decisions without financial support.

In the article, it was interesting to see how the USDA expects the agricultural industry inside of the U.S. to continue to recover and stabilize despite losses taken during the trade war which had occurred earlier in the year. It is also interesting how the reader only received the USDA side of the story, without any commentary from a farmer which was affected. It will be intriguing to see how the industry will do in these upcoming years in response to this decision.

Griffiths, C. (2018, November 21). U.S. Agriculture Preparing for African Swine Fever Outbreak. Retrieved November 23, 2018, from https://www.agweb.com/article/us-agriculture-preparing-for-african-swine-fever-outbreak/

Following an outbreak of African Swine Fever which is affecting pigs across China, the United States Department of Agriculture is seeking to strengthen its protections while restricting imports of pork in order to minimize the chances of the disease spreading to swine in the United States. With the help of a collaboration between the USDA, states, producers and the industry. The USDA is hoping to prioritize safe practices while also training dogs which are utilized by the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) in order to detect the disease and stop its travel before it’s too late.

In the article, it spoke about how the disease had already spread into the European Union and China and had been affecting swine in parts that had been producing a significant amount of pork to their countries. It is quite interesting how the government and the private sector work together in order to protect the integrity of the food that is produced and given to the people for consumption. It seems as if government intervention in agriculture seems to be a benefit for both parties.

Melley, B. (2018, November 16). California pesticide regulators recommend new chlorpyrifos restrictions. Retrieved November 23, 2018, from https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2018/11/16/california-pesticide-regulators-recommend-chlorpyrifos-restrictions/2025145002/

In California, regulators are recommending new restrictions on a pesticide that seems to have negative effects on the minds of young babies, chlorpyrifos. Already, the Department of Pesticide Regulation has passed temporary restrictions on the pesticide on certain crops and are looking to expand that list of crops to encompass even more. Already, use of the crop has been on the decline for several years as legislative changes have also forced the pesticide to be banned from home use while restrictions force farmers to seek alternatives.

The article highlights how pressure is mounting to cut off the use of pesticides like chlorpyrifos in agriculture and farm work. It is very intriguing to see how, through pressure from the people, regulators are beginning to pass regulations in order to have farmers produce crops that are safer to eat and work with as all these chemicals also have an effect on the crops that we will eventually consume. It will be very interesting to see what will happen as farmers turn to alternatives to protect their crops and what financial situation will occur during this transition.

Cavanaugh, P. (2018, August 30). Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Expands in Northern California. California Agriculture News | California Agriculture. Available at: https://californiaagtoday.com/oriental-fruit-fly-quarantine-expands-northern-california/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].

Due to finding 15 oriental fruit flies around Southern Sacramento, portions of the Sacramento and Yolo countries, an area of around 123 miles, have been quarantined. Residents have been requested not to move homegrown fruits and vegetables from their homes in order to prevent the spread of the fruit flies. Fruit flies have been known to focus on 230 different organic products and can corrupt and damage fruit through reproducing. In order to combat this epidemic, trained workers use a “male attractant” method to lure in the flies into their eventual death using pesticides.

This article highlights how agriculture and nature at times do not peacefully coexist. Although it sounds silly at first, fruit flies pose a threat to farmers and their crops. If there is an infestation of fruit flies in a given year, the farmer could lose his entire crop. It is quite interesting how the article detailed that fruit flies are a species that “threaten California’s crops and natural environment” although many people wouldn’t necessarily fear these types of insects.

Dr. Mario Picazo – Meteorologist, P. (2018, September 5). Part of California is sinking, here’s where and why. The Weather Network. Available at: https://www.theweathernetwork.com/us/news/articles/california-san-joaquin-central-valley-sinking-drought-groundwater-loss-agriculture-vegetable/111774 [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].

Due to the drought in California over the past few years, many farms and agricultural bases have been in need of water in order to support the many crops they produce. In order to get this water, many agricultural industries have looked towards the ground, often pumping groundwater up to be utilized. Due to this pumping, it is seen that groundwater levels have been at an all time low and as a result, the land in some parts of California crops is beginning to sink downward. This sinking raises the concerns of scientists who believe that the land could lose its ability to hold groundwater.

In this article, concerns are raised about the effect of agriculture and the practices used to maintain it on the world. It is truly concerning how the practices used in order to produce the food for many people to eat can wear down the world around it in a way that could be irreversible and unusable in the future. In the article, it was deltailed that around 80 percent of all groundwater that was being pumped was being used for agricultural purposes, which puts an emphasis on how large of problem these droughts have and how inconvenient it is to grow so much food in California when there are so many recent droughts.

Greene, L. (2018, September 5). Does UFW Cause Farm Closures?. California Agriculture News | California Agriculture. Available at: https://californiaagtoday.com/does-ufw-cause-farm-closures/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].

Due to the many closures of farms in the past four decades, there are rising concerns that the United Farm Workers (UFW) and the pressure that they created through demands are responsible. Although these claims seem strongly based, there is yet to be any evidence to support this claim. Despite the low number of unionized farms in comparison with decades earlier, the change seems to be due to that the union is finding trouble getting members compared to the past because much of what it has fought for has been given to all and many workers do not see benefit in spending part of their paychecks to pay union dues.

In this article, the focus is placed on the struggle of the farmers who have had to close down the past few decades. Although it may be the easiest thing to blame the union for all the shut downs, it was noted that none of the farms released a statement which blamed the shut down of their farms on the UFW. It was also interesting how it was detailed that many of the farmers have standardized what used to be the demands of the union and due to this, the union lost its favor among many workers.

Escalante, E. (2018, August 30). Why California’s agriculture industries have eyes on NAFTA talks. [online] ABC10. Available at: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/why-californias-agriculture-industries-have-eyes-on-nafta-talks/103-589175475 [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].

With the continuation of NAFTA talks, many of California’s agricultural industries, such as the Dairy, Almond, and Food Processing industries,  are focused in to get a better understanding of their markets in the future. Due to the staggering effects things like tariffs can have on each individual market, it is in each industry’s interest to keep a close eye on international agreements. Currently  these industries see good progress in these international talks as Mexico has been an important importer of many agricultural products but they are still waiting for more information before drawing conclusions.

In general, this article truly highlights the importance of good foreign relations and the amount of influence other countries have on the agriculture industry in California. Without a buyer in foreign lands, many local industries would struggle to maintain their prominence and provide in the same ways they currently are. Generally, it’s always good to see foreign relations flourish into prosperous trading partnerships. However, there is still more to be seen from the NAFTA talks.

Ronayne, K. and Associated Press (2018). Farmers protest Delta water plan, say protecting salmon hurts agriculture. [online] The Mercury News. Available at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/08/20/farmers-protest-delta-water-plan-say-protecting-salmon-hurts-agriculture/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2018].

In response to a proposed plan to increase flows to a major California river, many Californian farmers rallied at the Capitol. The plan, if enacted, would give support to the migration of the salmon population which has been on the decline for the past few decades. However, the proposal would also limit the amount of water that could be utilized by farmers as well as other necessities. However, the agricultural rallies have been met by some opposition by environmentalists and fishermen who see the necessity in protecting the salmon population.

In this article, it is seen that the issue of an increase of flow to a major river could put the environmentalists against the agricultural industry to debate what should be done. In general, it seems reasonable that the agriculture industry and the environmentalist movement can split apart at times because of the motivation of economic gain through a booming agricultural industry. However, it is surprising that the side in favor of the changes is somewhat a “double edged sword” because the environmentalists hope to preserve salmon in the area as the fisherman want to boost their industry and catch more salmon to sell.