Washington is not seeking to decouple the American economy from China’s, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said Thursday while on a visit to Tokyo. Tai, who is on her fourth visit to Japan after being appointed the top U.S. trade envoy, said all members of President Joe Biden's administration have been “very clear that it is not the intention to decouple” China's economy. U.S. trade sanctions against China are “narrowly targeted,” she said. Given its huge size and importance, unraveling the ties with China that keep the world economy running is “not a goal or achievable,” Tai said in a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman is in Australia this week to engage grain industry stakeholders in that country and explore ongoing global issues involving trade, plant breeding technologies and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. While a major competitor for U.S. wheat, Australia presents many opportunities for collaboration on policy initiatives that mutually impact both U.S. and Australian producers. Laudeman will interact with researchers, government regulators, producer organizations, and private sector plant breeding and grain handling companies.

UI Cookie was developed at the University of Idaho Research and Extension wheat breeding center in Aberdeen by Dr. Jianli Chen. UI Cookie has improved resistance to stripe rust, tolerance to Fusarium head blight and, while developed for irrigated production, has shown exceptional yields in both irrigated and dryland trials.

As you prepare for spring planting, please keep in mind the following guidance the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided regarding cover crops for this very reason:

Nicole Berg has heard the debate about removing four dams on the lower Snake River essentially since they were completed in the mid-1970s. "Coming from around here, you just get a little numb to it because you have heard about taking the dams out your whole life," said Berg, a farmer in southeast Washington state and immediate past president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). Berg farms along the Columbia River, just south of the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers at the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Washington).

Pasta is mechanically extruded through dies to create different shapes, and then is cut to length. It turns out the type of ‘die’ used to shape pasta is an important factor in quality and texture. Bronze dies, long the industry standard, have generally been replaced with Teflon dies. Teflon dies are cheaper, easier to replace, and last longer than their bronze counterpart. However, doughs extruded through Teflon dies have a smooth, more satiny surface. Bronze is a porous, soft metal. Pasta extruded through a bronze die has more texture and is a little rough on the surface.

A new paper on food security submitted by the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has to date received little attention but it could signify a meaningful shift in dealing with agriculture issues at the WTO. That paper, entitled “The World Trade Organization’s Role in Enhancing Food Security” suggests that facilitating rules- and science-based trade should be the basis for building global food security. The concept sets up a new approach to discussing food security issues that will span multiple areas of jurisdiction.