**The USDA continues to move forward on lifting the U.S. ban on Chinese chicken, undaunted by legislation that some say is a threat to the efforts wrapped into last week’s U.S.-China Comprehensive Dialogue.

A key item in that conference was China’s agreement to lift its ban on U.S. beef, along with the U.S. promise to allow China to ship processed chicken here.

Government and industry insiders have said the two are connected and the failure of the U.S. to allow in Chinese chicken could disrupt the newly resumed exports of beef to China.

**The lack of clear direction on overseas development policy in the Trump Administration risks the partnership between the United States and many African countries that’s shown promise for improved public health and agricultural development.

That’s according to former officials and advocates for global humanitarian assistance and development.

Speakers convened by the Center for American Progress in Washington recently expressed concern that many senior positions at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development remain unfilled while three famines threaten millions in the African nations of Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan.

**Farmers are worried the data they gather when using precision agriculture on their land will be used to make a profit, BUT not by them.

Witnesses at a House Ag Subcommittee hearing cautioned that despite glowing talk of a digital revolution in farming and widespread adoption of precision ag techniques, there’s still a long way to go before farmers can realize the true benefits of the data.

 

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