Jones Act Under Threat: U.S. aggies tried for decades to rid the burden of the U.S. flagged shipping requirement (AKA the Jones Act) for government impelled cargoes, including food aid. One way to rid the burden on food aid is to move to cash donations (see WPI 14 February); however, another is to have it challenged in the WTO by trading partners. Several countries in Geneva have taken issue with the U.S. law prohibiting foreign flagged vessels from intra-coastal shipping. It is a "buy American" provision based on a dubious national security claim. USTR says it is willing to consult with trading partners.Responding to Whiners: The effort to make the food industry right all of the world's wrongs continues ...
Consume the Uglies: This w...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
