Market to Market Reading Material
By Paul Yeager | Covering rural America for more than 40 years with stories of agriculture, trading, markets, futures and technology.
'No running or hiding': Trump's trade war starts to hit Texas consumers
WASHINGTON — For a consumer’s guide to President Donald Trump’s trade war, just take a trip to the local appliance store.<p>Pocketbook pain that comes …
EconomyLaCroix, Sparkling Ice, Bai and beyond: Are fruit-flavored waters good for you?
There's no doubt that drinking lots of water is good for us. The many benefits of staying properly hydrated include glowing skin, enhanced mental function, a healthy immune system and the ability to recover faster after a good workout. While tap water is the simplest and cheapest way to hydrate, …
NutritionHouse panel hearing to probe Trump tariff effects on farmers, consumers
New to IEG Policy? Start a free trial today to access this content and much more.<p>If your company has access but you haven't yet registered, click …
Donald TrumpExpanding Shipping Concepts Collide with Aging Infrastructure
<i>Forecasters have downgraded predictions – calling for a less active 2018 hurricane season.</i><p><i>Fewer storms would likely mean less damage to coastal</i> …
Mississippi RiverU.S. Soybean Vessel Was Loaded for China Just Before Duties
A ship carrying U.S. soybeans took off for China last week just before the Asian country’s retaliatory tariffs went into effect.<p>The shipment of about …
ChinaNorth Dakota sues Dakota Access over farmland ownership
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (STEHN'-juhm) is suing the developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline over agricultural land the company owns.<p>Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners bought the ranchland in 2016 in an area where thousands of pipeline opponents had gathered to …
North DakotaTrump's Trade War Has Its First Victims in the U.S. and China. Here's Who They Are
China’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods struck just as one of its biggest meat importers was rushing a shipment from California through Shanghai …
ChinaHeroes or criminals? Trump pardons 2 Oregon ranchers
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Rugged individualists to some, dangerous arsonists to others, a father and son who were convicted of intentionally setting fires on public land in Oregon were pardoned Tuesday by President Donald Trump.<p>The pardon is raising concerns that it will encourage others to actively …
ForestsThe Rhode Now Traveled
Podcast<p>Our crews are crisscrossing the country again for the weekly journal of rural America. This time, we hear about the burgeoning wind industry …
GlobalizationChinese tariffs on U.S. pork jump to over 60 percent
Retaliatory duties could put some American hog producers out of business<p>By Kate Ayers<br>Staff Writer<br>Farms.com<p>China hit American pork products with a …
FarmingDonald Trump's China Tariffs Don't Apply to Ivanka
Despite her father’s rallying cry to “buy American and hire American,” 100% of Ivanka Trump’s fashion products were made overseas—at least until …
Donald TrumpTrump's trade war splits a Missouri county into winners and losers
NEW MADRID COUNTY, Mo. (Reuters) - People don’t talk about trade tariffs in this stretch of the Mississippi River basin, where grains and metals have paid the bills for generations.<p>They skirt the subject at church fundraisers and sidestep it at Jerry’s Café and Quick Stop, where farmers and …
Mississippi RiverWhiskey wars: Trade tariffs hit hard in Trump country
China’s new 25 percent tariff on U.S whiskies took effect Friday, and America's bourbon industry is already starting to feel the squeeze.<p>The Chinese …
WhiskeyMarket Plus: Angie Setzer (July 7, 2018)
Howell: This is the Friday, July 6, 2018 version of the Market Plus segment. Joining us now is Angie Setzer. Angie, welcome back.<p>Setzer: Hi.<p>Howell: …
Donald TrumpBetting the farm: Why the heartland still believes in Trump despite plunging prices
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — They voted overwhelmingly for President Donald Trump, but generations of red-state farmers are bracing for impact on Friday with the knowledge that his trade war could destroy their livelihood — and alter the agricultural map forever.<p>Tariffs levied by America's trading …
Donald TrumpJune jobs growth jumps with 213K jobs added while unemployment rises
The U.S. economy added a higher-than-expected number of jobs in June, with 213,000 positions created versus analysts’ expectations for 195,000.<p>The unemployment rate moved higher, off an 18-year low, to 4% from May’s 3.8%. Economists say the slight move higher is a positive as it reflects more …
Labor EconomicsAnother strong jobs report. Here's why unemployment jumped
The US economy keeps adding jobs at a blistering pace.<p>Businesses added 213,000 jobs to their payrolls in June, another strong month of gains. Employers kept hiring even as fears grew of a global trade war. The economy has added jobs every month for almost eight years, the longest streak on …
EconomyU.S., China Dig In for Long Trade Fight as Tariffs Take Effect
Both sides slap levies on $34 billion of each other’s exports; some say fight could stretch into next year<p>Trade War: China ‘Ready to Take Countermeasures’<p>By<p>Bob Davis in Washington and<p>Bob Davis<p>The Wall Street Journal<p>Biography<p>@bobdavis187<p>Bob.Davis@wsj.com<p>Lingling Wei in Beijing<p>Lingling Wei<p>The Wall …
ChinaThe EU Has No Easy Answers to Trump's Car Tariff Threats
Investors should curb their enthusiasm over hopes that the European Union can sign a quick car deal with President Donald Trump. This isn’t how the EU works.<p>Shares in BMW, Mercedes-maker Daimler and Volkswagen jumped Thursday on German press reports of a constructive meeting between Richard …
EconomyTrump’s Trade War With China Is Officially Underway
WASHINGTON — A trade war between the world’s two largest economies officially began on Friday morning as the Trump administration followed through with its threat to impose tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese products, a significant escalation of a fight that could hurt companies and consumers …
GlobalizationHow Andrew Wheeler, the New Acting E.P.A. Chief, Differs From Scott Pruitt
WASHINGTON — The departure of Scott Pruitt, the scandal-plagued former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, means that the agency will be led in the coming months by Mr. Pruitt’s deputy, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who shares Mr. Pruitt’s zeal to undo environmental …
Donald TrumpU.S. cargo ship carrying soybeans in race to beat China's retaliatory tariffs
A ship carrying U.S. soybeans is steaming toward northern China in a race to beat the country’s expected 25% retaliatory tariff.<p>Peak Pegasus is expected to arrive in Dalian on Friday, the same day that China is scheduled to impose tariffs on imports from the U.S., according to shipping data …
EconomyDown on the farm with the robots and drones
While Dave Bitler is counting sheep at night in his quaint Berks County farmhouse, laser-guided robots are milking his cows out in the barn.<p>These …
FarmingEmbattled Scott Pruitt Resigns as EPA Administrator
His resignation comes amid allegations involving ethics, spending<p>WASHINGTON—Scott Pruitt, the embattled administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned Thursday after allegations of ethical lapses and improper spending overshadowed his aggressive campaign to roll back Obama-era …
Scott PruittCaught In Tariff War, U.S. Distillers Fear Losing Out On Global Whiskey Boom
U.S. whiskey distillers are fretting over the steep new tariffs they're facing around the world. They're being punished as U.S. trading partners retaliate against the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum. Now, the distillers fear that a long boom in U.S. whiskey exports could be …
WhiskeyNorthwest Ranchers Have Beef With Trump's Trade Wars, But Still Support Him
Every morning, JoHanna Symons quietly rides her sorrel Quarter Horse through dusty pens packed with young cattle at her ranch in Madras, Ore.<p>She's looking for the ones that cough or are injured so she can doctor them.<p>But when it comes to international trade wars, Symons and her husband, Jeremy, are …
Donald TrumpTake Our Cheese, Please: American Cheese Makers Suffer Under New Tariffs
Cheese makers that rely on foreign sales are suffering as China and Mexico raise tariffs on U.S. mozzarella and provolone.<p>BelGioioso Cheese Inc., a second-generation family company in Wisconsin, has seen sales to Mexico drop since officials there implemented tariffs of up to 15% in early June on …
EconomyCalifornia billionaire roils Arizona utilities with push for renewable energy
Arizona's largest utility is fiercely opposing a push to mandate increased use of renewable energy in the sun-drenched state, setting up a political fight over a measure funded by a California billionaire.<p>Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona aims to ask voters whether they want the state Constitution …
Renewable EnergyOil Falls on Unexpected Increase in Stockpiles
Oil prices fell Thursday after data showed U.S. inventories increased unexpectedly last week.<p>Light, sweet crude for August delivery declined $1.20, or 1.6%, to $72.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices have stayed near their highest level since 2014 recently, with the prospect of …
Oil