Year 2005
Younger Hmong abandoning their agricultural traditions
Date: Thursday, December 29, 2005. By Daisy Nguyen, Associated Press
One by one, the kids are leaving the family business, going to college to pursue more lucrative professions in pharmaceuticals and engineering.
While no one is tallying how many younger Hmong are abandoning tradition, leaders in the immigrant community and agriculture industry observers say the trend is striking. More>> (More Other News >>)
Farmers to divvy up $200M in storm aid
Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide $200 million to Florida farmers and growers hit hard by storms.
The $200 million is from emergency funds that will be administered by the Department of Agriculture. Recipients include almost every kind of grower who suffered damage, but no details were available Tuesday about how the money will be distributed. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
USDA: $200 million for Florida agriculture hurt by hurricanes
Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2005. By Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated at least $200 million for Florida growers and farmers who suffered losses from the 2005 hurricanes.
The funding, authorized under a portion of the Agricultural Adjustment Act known as "Section 32," gives the Department of Agriculture the discretion to pay agriculture producers compensation for losses from weather and reduced market prices. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Progress is unlikely at WTO summit
Date: Saturday, December 17, 2005. By Malcolm Foster, Associated Press
Protesters, impasses and a lack of consensus -- welcome to the Hong Kong WTO trade summit.
Delegates from the WTO's 149 member nations will try to hash out a draft agreement today that likely will be their last chance to reach compromises on a slew of thorny issues, including opening likely will be their last chance to reach compromises on a slew of thorny issues, including opening farm markets, the biggest obstacle. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Delegates of poor nations unite at WTO summit
Date: Friday, December 16, 2005. By Rajesh Mahapatra, Associated Press
Top trade officials from more than 110 poor countries strive to form a united stance on trade negotiations.
Developing countries were closing ranks Thursday to push their agenda at this week's global trade talks as the United States and the European Union traded charges with time running out to broker a global trade deal that could lift millions out of poverty. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Did Wilma spread canker?
Date: Friday, December 16, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
In a new blow to citrus growers, a USDA study says that Hurricane Wilma spread citrus canker far and wide, and as a result millions more trees may need to be destroyed.
The winds from Hurricane Wilma may have spread citrus canker so widely that it could result in the destruction of as many as 170,000 more acres of fruit trees in commercial groves. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Dade farmers pawns in a political game
Date: Thursday, December 15, 2005. By Katie Edwards, The Miami Herald
Can agriculture stay economically viable through land conservation programs and regulations?
Miami-Dade County planners and commissioners must address this question before embarking on land conservation programs and considering further regulations to agriculture. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Farming issues take center stage at talks
Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2005. By Elaine Kurt Enbach, Associated Press
Many attending the WTO talks took aim at the European Union, saying it must pledge to open its markets further to foreign agricultural products and slash subsidies.
By dollar value, farming accounts for only a small slice of the world economic pie, but its critical role in the lives of billions of people has thrust it to the fore of WTO talks being held in Hong Kong this week. An impasse over the issue threatens to block a global trade agreement. More>> (More Trade News >>)
WTO delegates expect unproductive summit
Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2005. By Sam Cage, Associated Press
Impasses over farm trade makes for a bleak outlook as trade delegates gather in Hong Kong.
An impasse between rich and poor nations over farm trade threatens to undermine progress at this week's World Trade Organization meeting, trade ministers said Monday as delegates from 149 countries gathered to work toward an eventual global treaty that would cut trade barriers. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Land hit hard by citrus canker could be used to make ethanol
Date: Monday, December 12, 2005. By Susan Salisbury, The Palm Beach Post
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson would like to see citrus groves cleared in the canker eradication effort put to use for growing crops to make fuel.
Since August 2004, the state has lost or is scheduled to lose close to 80,000 acres of commercial citrus as infected and exposed trees are removed. Citrus trees cannot be replanted on the land for at least two years. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Storm puts squeeze on OJ drinkers
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
Due to damage Hurricane Wilma caused to Florida's citrus crop, the price of orange juice futures in New York rose to the highest in seven years Friday.
In its path through the state in October, Hurricane Wilma knocked 15 percent of the Florida's fruit crop off orange trees still suffering from three hurricanes of 2004. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Hurricanes damaged poinsettia crops in S. Fla.
Date: Friday, December 9, 2005. By Aldo Nahed, The Miami Herald
It won't be such a merry Christmas this year for poinsettia florists and growers.
An unusually active storm season has damaged half of the poinsettia crop produced in South Florida. The loss has ricocheted through the business, from nurseries to florists and even, to a small extent, to consumers. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Nations gear up for Hong Kong summit
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2005. By Sam Cage, Associated Press
Uncertainties abound as World Trade Organization leaders gear up for next week's Doha round summit in Hong Kong.
Talks leading up to the summit have reached an impasse over agricultural trade, with many negotiators blaming the European Union's unwillingness to further cut farm subsidies and tariffs. More>> (More Trade News >>)
U.S., Peru sign free-trade agreement
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2005. By The Miami Herald
The United States and Peru establish a bilateral free-trade agreement, but agreements with other Andean nations have not yet been reached.
Peru and the United States on Wednesday wrapped up negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement, although the 18-month effort fell short of the goal to forge a sweeping Andean pact that would include Colombia and Ecuador. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Millions still due in citrus removal
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
Homeowners who lost trees to Florida's canker-eradication program are awaiting the result of a request for an additional $17 million to clear the backlog.
If you're one of the more than 8,000 South Florida residents owed money by the state's canker-eradication program, your fate is in the hands of the Legislature. But you'll get your money. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Young citrus growers feel the squeeze
Date: Monday, December 5, 2005. By Mike Schneider, Associated Press
When Jason Johnson graduates from college this month with a degree in citrus production, chances are he will look for jobs in landscaping rather than the state's $9 billion citrus industry.
Urbanization, hurricanes and diseases are transforming the industry that produces Florida's signature crops, leaving behind a less promising future for the next generation of growers, production managers and citrus marketers. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Citrus-canker fund feels the squeeze
Date: Sunday, December 4, 2005. By Associated Press
Funds used to compensate residents whose citrus trees were destroyed in Florida's canker-eradication program have been depleted for months.
The account used to buy the vouchers was depleted in June, and the money allocated for the cash payments was gone in September. A backlog of 46,000 residents awaits reimbursement. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
U.S. sidestepping ban against pesticide
Date: Monday, November 28, 2005. By Rita Beamish, Associated Press
The United States signed a treaty barring the use of methyl bromide, but it is so effective that its widespread use continues.
Other nations watch as the United States keeps permitting wide use of methyl bromide for tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, Christmas trees and other crops, even though it signed an international treaty banning all but the most critical uses by 2005. More>> (More Other News >>)
Canker worries spread
Date: Saturday, November 26, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
Worried that Hurricane Wilma may have spread citrus canker to the point of no return, experts are pouring over storm data, hoping it will show them where to look first for the next canker outbreak.
Canker, harmless to humans, blemishes fruit and weakens the tree, eventually reducing production, citrus experts say. It's a threat to the state's $9 billion commercial citrus industry. One of the main ways it spreads is by wind-driven rain, so hurricanes can wreak havoc. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Today, give thanks for Miami-Dade growers
Date: Thursday, November 24, 2005. By Katie A. Edwards, The Dade County Farm Bureau
Our family tradition is to tell of what you are most thankful for this year. I've put some thought into it, and I know exactly what I'm going to say.
I'm thankful for Miami-Dade's vegetable farmers for providing the nation's winter vegetables. Have you ever stopped to think about what we would do without them? We would be reliant on other countries for the corn, beans, tomatoes, squash and eggplant that we sit down to enjoy today. Picture a Thanksgiving dinner with no beans or squash!. More>> (More Other News >>)
U.S.-Andean talks put on hold
Date: Thursday, November 24, 2005. By Mark Drajem, Bloomberg News
Negotiations between the United States and Andean nations ended without the countries signing a definitive free-trade agreement.
Talks with Colombia and Ecuador ended Tuesday, and negotiators for each government said they pulled out of the discussions because they couldn't accept U.S. demands that they stiffen patent protections and allow more U.S. farm imports. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Agriculture stalls U.S. trade talks
Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005. By Mark Drajem, Bloomberg News
U.S. demands that Colombia dismantle protections for farmers would lead to increased production of illicit drugs, Colombia warns.
Negotiators from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador are in Washington to finish negotiations on a free-trade agreement with the United States this week. Those talks won't bear fruit unless the Bush administration makes more concessions to the ''sensitivities'' of Colombia's farmers, said Eduardo Munoz Gomez, Colombia's vice trade minister. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Grapefruit was looking up, until Wilma brought it down
Date: Monday, November 21, 2005. By Susan Salisbury, The Palm Beach Post
Hurricane damage to this year's grapefruit crop was just as bad or worse than damage caused by storms in 2004.
Things were looking better for 2005, with a crop of 24 million boxes -- roughly double that of the previous harvest -- predicted in September. But Hurricane Wilma has made this season a repeat of the last, as the storm knocked at least half of the harvest onto the ground. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Free Trade: Forget The Fast Lane
Date: Monday, November 21, 2005. By Paul Magnusson, BusinessWeek
No one ever said that the fight for free trade was easy, especially in light of rising public opposition to globalization.
November has turned out to be a cruel month for U.S. multinationals fighting for a new global trade agreement. President Bush's Nov. 3-4 trip to a regional trade summit in Argentina ended in rioting in the streets of Mar del Plata and failure at the negotiating table. More>> (More Trade News >>)
EU plans bigger cutback in banana tariff dispute
Date: Friday, November 18, 2005. By Duncan Hooper and Warren Giles, Bloomberg News
The European Union plans a bigger cut in banana duties to end a long running trade battle with the U.S. and Latin American nations.
The European Union, seeking to end a nine-year dispute with the U.S. and Latin American nations over the level of banana import tariffs, scaled back its proposed duty by 4.3 percent, two people who have seen the proposal said. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Senators push for federal money for farmers affected by storms
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2005. By Frank Davies, The Miami Herald
Florida agriculture, hit hard by three hurricanes, would benefit from a disaster relief package introduced by Republican U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.
The relief bill is designed to make nurseries and tropical fruit producers eligible for assistance from the Department of Agriculture. Nurseries in South Miami-Dade were hit hard by Katrina, and nursery operations in the state suffered more than $1 billion in damages. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Trade meeting will be crucial
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005. By Pamela Cox, World Bank
Latin America is one of the most liberalized regions in the world, but to expand the benefits of trade to millions of families, progress at the Doha development round of trade talks is essential.
Among developing regions, Latin America is a leader in trade liberalization, often embarking on reforms autonomously. Latin American countries are also among the most active in multilateral trade negotiations. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Bush can expect more challenges on trip to Asia
Date: Monday, November 14, 2005. By Daniel Sneider, The Miami Herald
After his rough ride in Latin America, President Bush's weeklong swing through Northeast Asia this week should feel and look like smooth sailing.
Beneath the polite surface, however, there is no less a challenge in Asia to the United States' claim to global leadership. In every direction, there are reminders of the limits of U.S. power. And there is little evidence that the Bush administration has any clearer policy in Asia than in Latin America. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Hurricanes send sugar prices soaring
Date: Monday, November 14, 2005. By Rukmini Callimachi, Associated Press
The loss of the Louisiana sugarcane and disruptions at two sugar refineries in New Orleans sent a shock through the sugar industry, which was already dealing with shortages because of hurricane-damaged crops in Florida last year.
Since the end of August, the price of sugar has gone from 28 cents a pound to over 40 cents, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, citing industry publications. That's compounded the pricing difficulties the sugar industry faces - the government keeps prices for sugar considerably higher in the U.S. than on the world market by limiting imports and restricting how much sugar can be sold domestically. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Gov., agriculture chief call for federal farm relief
Date: Friday, November 11, 2005. By Andrea Robinson and Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Statewide, agriculture industry losses caused by four hurricanes in Florida this year are estimated at $2.2 billion.
More than two weeks after Hurricane Wilma tore through a large swath of South Florida, Bush and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson made their final stop on their tour of agricultural areas devastated by the storm. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
EU, Brazil point fingers at each other
Date: Thursday, November 10, 2005. By Frances Williams, Financial Times
High-level trade talks between the EU and Brazil raise even more questions about the success of the Doha round of WTO talks scheduled for next year.
Putting a brave face on their failure to produce a breakthrough in three days of high-level talks in London and Geneva, ministers from the United States, EU, Brazil and other leading trading nations said they remained committed to concluding an ambitious Doha round accord by the end of 2006 and would work for the best possible deal at next month's WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Bush's last stop: Panama
Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2005. By William Douglas, Knight Ridder News
President Bush ended his trip to Latin America in Panama, facing questions about unexploded ordnance -- but no protests over trade. Some observers said he had little to show for his five-day trip.
Fresh from bruising discussions over free trade, President Bush Monday wrapped up a Latin American tour in pro-free trade Panama -- and got hit with complaints about unexploded bombs in former U.S. military bases here. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Bush to press free trade plan
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2005. By Stan Lehman, Associated Press
President Bush headed from the Summit of the Americas to Brazil to meet with leaders to discuss his free-trade proposal.
President Bush arrived here Saturday for a brief visit during which he is expected to discuss with his Brazilian counterpart ways to revive talks aimed at creating a free-trade zone in the Western Hemisphere. More>> (More Trade News >>)
The final outcome of summit: two Americas
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2005. By Andres Oppenheimer, The Miami Herald
Despite efforts from all sides to put a good face to it, the summit ended in disarray.
One bloc is made up of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Chile, and several other countries, whose combined gross domestic product is an estimated $14.5 trillion. The other emerging bloc is made up of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay and Uruguay, whose economies add up to about $2.2 trillion. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Bush bruised, not beaten in talks
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2005. By Mei-Ling Hopgood and Jack Chang, Knight Ridder News
President Bush faced harsh criticism from Latin American presidents over a free-trade proposal, but no clear winners and losers emerged.
There were no clear winners or losers after the Fourth Summit of the Americas ended here Saturday: President Bush and 33 other leaders of the region wound up the two-day meeting brutally divided over a hemisphere-wide free trade zone first proposed in Miami more than a decade ago. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Farm damage reaches $2.2B for 2005 storms
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2005. By Susan Salisbury, The Palm Beach Post
Agricultural damage caused this year's spate of hurricanes exceeds the $2.1 billion in damages caused by last year's storms.
Florida agriculture took a $2.2 billion hit from the four hurricanes of 2005, the state said Friday. That figure slightly exceeds the total of $2.1 billion in damage suffered by the state's agriculture sector in 2004's quartet of hurricanes, but for some industries -- nurseries, sugar cane and vegetables -- Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma have been worse this year. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
U.S.-backed free-trade proposal faces test of survival at summit
Date: Friday, November 4, 2005. By Andres Oppenheimer, The Miami Herald
Argentina introduced a new article that effectively killed plans to go forward with the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas.
The hemispheric free trade area was originally scheduled to start Jan. 1 this year, but the deadline came and went without a deal, largely because of Mercosur's objections to U.S. agricultural subsidies. U.S. officials came to Mar del Plata hoping to reach a deal to re-launch FTAA talks early next year. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Farmworkers face uncertainty after Wilma
Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2005. By Mike Schneider, Associated Press
Many migrant laborers in Florida have lost their homes as well as their jobs in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. But some help is in the works.
Many mobile homes where farmworkers lived were crushed. Farm laborers lost a week of work during one of the busiest times of the season, and the need to replant tomatoes and vegetables destroyed during the storm may create a lull that could last into February. Now growers are worried that laborers will search for jobs elsewhere. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
New threat arrives: 'citrus greening'
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
The newest threat to the state's multibillion-dollar commercial citrus industry is a bacterial disease spread by an Asian insect that has begun to spread.
Florida citrus growers like Nat Roberts have a lot riding on the efforts of agricultural scientists who are scrambling to find a way to fight ''citrus greening,'' a potentially crippling new threat that has shown up in the state's commercial citrus belt. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Sugar industry rides the storms with new program
Date: Monday, October 31, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Hurricanes wreaked havoc on sugar cane fields, but consumers have gotten a break so far. Suppliers cite price stability as proof the sugar program works; big users disagree.
The sugar industry is hailing the price stability as a sign of the effectiveness of the government's sugar program -- which allows flexibility in alloting import quotas. The program protects consumers from abrupt price hikes in sugar by smoothing out supply. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
WTO rules against EU on banana importation
Date: Friday, October 28, 2005. By Raphael Minder, Financial Times
The World Trade Organization has again ruled against the European Union concerning access to Latin American banana markets.
The European Union's plans to overhaul its import rules for bananas will not grant enough access to Latin American producers of the fruit, according to a final ruling by the World Trade Organization. The banana row has threatened to undermine the EU's broader trade relationship with several developing countries. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Farmers suffer another major blow
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2005. By Christina Hoag, The Miami Herald
Still reeling from Katrina, South Dade farmers have lost millions of dollars in devastated crops and damaged infrastructure.
South Dade farmers are looking at nearly $250 million in lost crops and structural damage just two months after suffering hundreds of millions in destruction from Hurricane Katrina. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Organic industry asks Congress to reject tougher standards set by appeals court
Date: Tuesday, October 25, 2005. By Libby Quaid, Associated Press
Organic food is a multibillion-dollar industry with growing pains it wants Congress to help soothe.
At issue is whether small amounts of non-organic ingredients - vitamins, spices, citric acid, even carbonation - should be allowed in food bearing the "USDA Organic" seal. An appeals court decided earlier this year that none of those things belongs in food labeled as organic. More>> (More Other News >>)
No rush to up taxes on rent-a-cows
Date: Thursday, October 20, 2005. By Beth Reinhard, The Miami Herald
Proposed reforms to a widely abused Florida law meant to protect agriculture are given a cool reception in Tallahassee.
Property appraisers urged state senators on the agriculture committee to strengthen the law so they could ensure that tax relief goes to genuine farmers. More>> (More Other News >>)
Officials scrap plans to close hundreds of local farm offices
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2005. By Libby Quaid, Associated Press
The Agriculture Department will abandon plans to close more than 700 local Farm Service Agency offices across the country because of widespread opposition in Congress, an official said Tuesday.
The plan was to close 713 of the 2,351 FSA offices, which are located in rural counties and connect farmers to government programs that provide payments and loans. More>> (More Other News >>)
S. Fla. farmers turn to niche markets
Date: Monday, October 17, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Miami-Dade County is seeing a proliferation of small farms and nurseries, as farmers try niche strategies to survive.
Today Homestead farmers no longer grow limes (squeezed out by disease) or potatoes (buried by advances in storage). They follow the demise of long-ago farming: cattle, dairy farms and poultry production, underscoring the dynamic changes that characterize agriculture. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Brazilian farmers turn away from tilling
Date: Monday, October 17, 2005. By Paulo Prada, The Miami Herald
Conservation tillage is helping Brazil conquer the world market. They copied it from the U.S., but did it bigger and better.
The technique spread just as advances in plant genetics were allowing tropical growers to cultivate crops, like soybeans, that once grew only in temperate climates. And a drop in the value of the real, Brazil's currency, over the past decade made exports cheaper. Together, the factors made Brazil the world's largest exporter of sugar, beef and orange juice, and the second largest exporter of soybeans. More>> (More Other News >>)
Pass the guacamole
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2005. By Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times
With barriers lifted, Mexican avocado growers enjoy boom times as they export their fruit to meet the demands of the U.S. market.
What's driving growth in avocado exports is the elimination of trade barriers and sanitary bans that for most of the last century kept the U.S. market off limits to Mexican fruit. The boost also is due to the surprisingly strong growth in U.S. consumption. More>> (More Trade News >>)
NAFTA nations: U.S. flouts rules
Date: Friday, October 14, 2005. By Mark Drajem, Bloomberg News
Mexico and Canada say the United States violates the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The debate threatens to fray the trade pact and damage diplomatic relations.
Canada and Mexico are escalating their allegations that the United States is flouting the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement in order to protect domestic producers. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Price of OJ to increase, forecasters say
Date: Thursday, October 13, 2005. By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post
Florida's citrus crop is beginning to bounce back, but continued shortages will lead to a increase in the retail price for a gallon of juice.
The coming harvest caps a particularly difficult year for citrus. After sustaining significant damage from the storms of 2004, more than 2 million trees in St. Lucie County alone are slated to be destroyed in an attempt to stop canker's spread. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Growers to get canker funds
Date: Friday, October 7, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
Commercial growers slammed by citrus canker are getting $200 million in help from the USDA.
About 230 Florida commercial citrus growers who have lost trees to the citrus canker eradication program will be eligible for $200 million in federal compensation. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
In days, Brazil to decide on sanctions against U.S.
Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2005. By Warren Giles, Bloomberg News
The country will decide whether to seek sanctions for illegal subsidies to U.S. farmers. The sanctions will not be necessary if the United States complies with a WTO ruling.
Brazil will decide within days whether to pursue trade sanctions against American imports in retaliation for illegal cotton subsidies to U.S. farmers, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues said. More>> (More Trade News >>)
USDA aids Florida's canker fight
Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
Florida's citrus canker eradication program for commercial groves will get more financial help from the federal government.
There is good news for Florida citrus growers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: a pledge of almost $54 million to help fight the spread of citrus canker in commercial groves. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Citrus crop down 42%
Date: Monday, October 3, 2005. By Associated Press
Stressed by three hurricanes that tore through the state's groves last year, Florida's citrus crop ended up being worth $742.2 million, the least valuable since the 1985-1986 season.
The 2004-2005 citrus crop of 169.1 million boxes also was down 42 percent from the 291.8 million boxes produced the previous season, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Nursery owners honored
Date: Thursday, September 29, 2005. By The Miami Herald
The Dade County Farm Bureau named George (Jr.) and Myra Butler as the recipients of the 2005 Farm Family of the Year award.
The couple began Butler's Foliage in 1961 on five acres as a part-time operation that specialized in Carissa Boxwood Beauty. Besides patenting plants, Butler identified two plant sports that only the Butlers' nursery sold: Butlerii Supreme and Butlerii Petite. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Money to replace canker trees runs out
Date: Monday, September 26, 2005. By Susan Salisbury, The Miami Herald
The state's voucher program to replace your citrus tree is out of money.
For residents who have been patiently waiting to receive the vouchers to buy trees to replace their uprooted orange, grapefruit or lime trees, the situation is frustrating. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Canker uproots trees -- and growers' lives
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2005. By Phil Long, The Miami Herald
Many growers are wondering if they will get reimbursed by the USDA for fruit trees they are losing to the citrus canker eradication program.
Canker is harmless to humans but blemishes fruit and weakens the tree. The only way to get rid of it is to destroy every infected tree; the law also requires that every citrus tree within 1,900 feet of an infected tree be destroyed. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Subsidy cuts worry Caribbean
Date: Thursday, September 8, 2005. By The Miami Herald
EU subsidy cuts on sugar could wreak economic havoc in Caribbean nations where sugar makes up a significant proportion of their gross domestic product.
European countries are planning to sharply reduce subsidies to sugar-cane growers in their former Caribbean colonies amid a ruling by the World Trade Organization that the preferences violate global trade rules. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Officials scramble to erase canker
Date: Thursday, September 8, 2005. By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post
Florida's citrus industry may be saved from the destruction of citrus canker as long as no more hurricanes hit, but a bigger danger may be looming.
The recent discovery in Miami-Dade County of an even deadlier plague -- citrus greening, also known as yellow dragon disease -- has officials scrambling to find a plan to combat it. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
New citrus disease may threaten Florida groves
Date: Saturday, September 3, 2005. By Adrian Sainz, Associated Press
A bacterial disease that has damaged groves in Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa has been found in Homestead, and may pose a threat to Florida's $9 billion citrus industry.
The U.S. Agriculture Department confirmed Friday the first U.S. detection of a plant illness known as citrus greening from samples collected from two trees in Homestead. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Banana battle heads to court
Date: Thursday, September 1, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Produce buyers and consumers have filed a bunch of class-action lawsuits in Miami, alleging banana price fixing by big multinationals such as Chiquita, Dole and Fresh Del Monte.
Suspicions of banana price fixing in Europe have touched off a rash of U.S. class-action suits against the biggest names in bananas -- Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte -- alleging the corporations conspired to hike the price of the world's most popular fruit. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
South Dade growers ask for state, federal relief
Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
With more than $400 million in crop losses and job losses estimated at almost 3,000 workers, South Dade growers call for disaster relief and unemployment aid.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, who led the inspection tour, promised growers their voices would be heard: ''I'm going to be asking very loudly, I'm going to be asking the governor to be asking very loudly, and I'm sure other states are going to be doing the same thing. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Farm plight: Tense times, millions in damages
Date: Sunday, August 28, 2005. By Tere Figueras Negrete, The Miami Herald
After Hurricane Katrina, farmers, growers and laborers who depend on agriculture for their livelihood are reeling.
As Miami-Dade's agricultural community reels, the farmers, growers and laborers who depend on the industry for their livelihood are tense with uncertainty. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Crops take a hit; losses are tallied
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2005. By Jane Bussey and Georgia Tasker, The Miami Herald
Floating plants, damaged shade houses, uprooted trees, and a devastated avocado harvest is Katrina's legacy in South Dade nurseries and groves.
Hurricane Katrina's unexpected jog south caught South Miami-Dade nurseries and groves unprepared, and growers awoke Friday to find fallen shade houses, uprooted plants, a destroyed avocado crop and extensive damage to foliage and landscaping plants. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Protect farmland, taxpayers' wallets
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2005. By The Miami Herald
The practice encourages unrestrained growth by making it cheaper and more lucrative to pave over farmlands and pastures -- and it comes at taxpayer expense.
State law requires them to grant tax breaks on land used for ''good-faith commercial agriculture'' but isn't clear about what that means. Developer-friendly court rulings have further slackened the rules, allowing corporate interests to seek farm subsidies even as they plan to bulldoze pastures and cornfields. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Andean Pact Faces Hurdles
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2005. By Hal Weitzman, Financial Times
Disputes with us companies threaten the region's image and the future of its export boom.
Along with Colombia and Ecuador, Lima is trying to hammer out a trade deal with the US. But the alienation of foreign investors in Peru -- and in recent weeks in Ecuador, too -- is one of several obstacles to a deal. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Negotiators call for FTAA talks
Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Mexico wants to settle the future of the temporary secretariat for the languishing Free Trade Area of the Americas talks. Caribbean negotiators call for more serious discussions.
Mexico got the ball rolling when it asked regional trade negotiators to meet in Puebla on Thursday to discuss what to do about the secretariat set up to handle hemispheric trade negotiations that have been moribund for the past 18 months. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Appraisers lax in tax-break scrutiny
Date: Tuesday, August 23, 2005. By Samuel P. Nitze and Beth Rinhard, The Miami Herald
Miami-Dade and Broward property appraisers say they have no choice: Year after year, they give up millions of dollars to developers who seek property tax breaks meant to help farmers.
State law requires them to grant tax breaks on land used for ''good-faith commercial agriculture'' but isn't clear about what that means. Developer-friendly court rulings have further slackened the rules, allowing corporate interests to seek farm subsidies even as they plan to bulldoze pastures and cornfields. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Law fails to save Florida farmland
Date: Monday, August 22, 2005. By Beth Rinhard and Samuel P. Nitze, The Miami Herald
Farmland-preservation experts say Florida's law granting agricultural tax breaks is one of the worst in the country.
Florida's 1959 ''greenbelt'' law was among the nation's first to give property tax breaks to farmers. But half a century later, the state's pioneering law is one of the weakest in the country, largely unsuccessful in preserving farmland and easily exploited by developers. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
How developers cash in on 'farmland'
Date: Sunday, August 21, 2005. By Samuel P. Nitze and Beth Rinhard, The Miami Herald
Here's what passes for farmland in South Florida: rocky, trash-strewn fields, lots crammed with melaleuca trees, even fledgling construction sites.
Most states that offer agricultural tax breaks demand that landowners tend a certain number of acres, turn a profit, or promise not to build. Many collect back taxes once development begins. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Florida citrus reaps juicy tariffs
Date: Thursday, August 18, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Round two of the citrus wars finds Florida's industry prevailing over Brazilian competitors in a complaint over exporting orange juice at unfairly low prices.
The Florida citrus industry scored a preliminary success in its battle with Brazilian competitors Wednesday when the U.S. Commerce Department slapped punitive import duties as high as 60 percent on Brazilian orange juice imports. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Mexican chili farmers feel sting of low prices
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2005. By Sean Mattson, San Antonio Express-News
Between 50 percent and 80 percent of the dried peppers now sold in Mexico are imported.
Gonzalez, 65, is among the thousands of farmers who have stopped producing dried peppers in recent years as one of this nation's most emblematic agricultural traditions has faltered. More>> (More Other News >>)
Andean countries say U.S. trade deal vital
Date: Monday, August 15, 2005. By Tyler bridges, The Miami Herald
Negotiations for a new U.S.-Andean Free Trade Agreement are ongoing, but the talks have fallen behind schedule.
Failure to reach a broader free-trade agreement with the United States before the accord expires at the end of 2006 would cause most of the exports and jobs to disappear, added officials from the four countries: Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA vote postponed
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2005. By Filadelfo Aleman, Associated Press
Congressional president and leftist Sandinista leader René Núñez said lawmakers could not reach an agreement to include CAFTA on the legislative agenda.
Nicaragua's congress on Tuesday postponed debate on a proposed free-trade agreement between Central America and the United States until next month. More>> (More Trade News >>)
The yuan grows up
Date: Friday, August 5, 2005. By Brian Bremner, BusinessWeek
Untethered from the dollar, it could become a major world currency.
Here's why China's move is a step toward the yuan becoming a major world currency. First, People's Bank now can act like a central bank, not just a foreign outpost of the U.S. Federal Reserve. More>> (More Other News >>)
Who's ready for CAFTA?
Date: Friday, August 5, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Leaders of South Florida's trade community witness trade pact signing and anticipate future business. But agriculture and labor warn of the downside to the new trade agreement.
While importers and exporters anticipate potential business from reduction of trade barriers, the passage of CAFTA by the slimmest of margins still rankles some Florida industries. Cattle ranchers, the sugar industry and labor groups aren't pleased. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Free-traders losing Congress because they have lost the country
Date: Thursday, August 4, 2005. By Patrick J. Buchanan, The Miami Herald
The narrow margins and the intensely partisan vote are matters of serious concern.
The political recriminations from the cliff-hanger passage of (CAFTA) are even worse than we thought. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, is contemplating revenge against the 15 Democrats. More>> (More Trade News >>)
EU banana tariff is ruled illegal
Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2005. By Sam Cage, The Miami Herald
Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and the World Trade Organization square off on banana tariffs.
A WTO arbitration body backed a claim by the Latin American countries -- including Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela -- who said the proposed EU tariff of 230 euros or $279 per metric ton next year would have a ''devastating effect'' on the development of their economies. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Tons and tons of sugar, but controversy remains
Date: Monday, August 1, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Brazil's ethanol industry boosts sugar production, but critics claim that the country can outsell the rest of the world due to past subsidies and other incentives.
In Brazil, the government requires its sugar-based ethanol be used as fuel, or a fuel additive. With ethanol selling for just 72 cents a gallon at the pump, that requisite now seems fortuitous. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
FARM SCENE: More farmers are using computers, but pace slowing
Date: Monday, August 1, 2005. By Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press
American farmers are buying computers and using them for business, but at a much slower pace than they did just two years ago, a new federal study shows.
The rate for both computer ownership and business usage increased just 1 percent from 2003 to 2005, according to a survey conducted every two years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More>> (More Other News >>)
Legislature weighs merits of CAFTA-DR passage
Date: Friday, July 29, 2005. By Jim Wyss, The Miami Herald
After the U.S. Congress voted on Wednesday for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, Nicaraguans carefully weighed pros and cons.
A day after the Central American Free Trade Agreement squeezed by in a vote in the U.S. Congress, Nicaraguan trade officials called on their nation's legislative body to pass the deal or risk economic isolation. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA passage may hurt other deals
Date: Friday, July 29, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
Supporters of CAFTA-DR celebrated its passage. However, the partisan fight could endanger other free-trade pacts.
After the House early Thursday passed a trade agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic by the narrowest of margins, supporters in Washington, Miami and Central America hailed it as a major win. More>> (More Trade News >>)
House passes CAFTA to give Bush big win
Date: Thursday, July 28, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
In a major victory for President Bush, the House of Representatives passed the CAFTA-DR free-trade pact in a 217-215 vote.
Only 15 Democrats supported the trade pact and 27 Republicans opposed a bill that had become a test of President Bush's ability to lead Congress in his second term. More>> (More Trade News >>)
The doubtful deals driving CAFTA
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2005. By Paul Magnusson, BusinessWeek
If CAFTA becomes law, what will happen to the long list of promised projects that helped to secure its passage?
Former President Bill Clinton promised lawmakers in 1993 that he would protect Florida tomato farmers and Washington asparagus growers from a feared flood of Mexican imports under NAFTA but did little more than study the situation. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Bush makes plea to lawmakers for trade agreement passage
Date: Friday, July 22, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
Speaking before the Organization of American States, President Bush praised CAFTA-DR's pro-democracy attributes. In Congress, deals were offered on China and Haiti.
With a House vote on the CAFTA-DR free-trade pact still too close to call, President Bush Thursday made a personal plea for its passage as lawmakers scraped for votes by offering deals on China and Haiti. More>> (More Trade News >>)
China implements new rules for yuan
Date: Friday, July 22, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
China announced that it has adopted a new system to value the yuan after pegging it to the U.S. dollar for 10 years.
China's announcement, which has been anticipated and debated by economists and government leaders for months, is the first time in a decade that China has raised the value of its currency, also known as the renminbi, effectively making the yuan and exports more expensive against the U.S. dollar. More>> (More Other News >>)
Andean trade negotiators meet in Miami for talks
Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Trade talks with three Andean countries get underway in downtown Miami, but for free-trade supporters the key issue in town is still the Congressional vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Trade negotiators from the United States, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru met from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hotel InterContinental for the first of five days of trade talks aimed at forging an Andean Free Trade Agreement. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Battle over CAFTA heats up
Date: Monday, July 18, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
The gloves are off in the battle over the Bush administration's biggest free-trade initiative and in an unusual twist, this time Big Business is going mano a mano against Big Business.
In the battle to defeat or approve the Central American Free Trade Agreement, sugar producers are pitted against candy makers, the old-line beef industry against upstart cattlemen, and retailers and importers against pockets of textile makers. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Free trade with Thailand worries U.S. sugar growers
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2005. By Larry Lipman, Cox News Service
Free trade threatens to put domestic sugar growers out of business. Producers in the U.S. fear what a trade pact with Thailand would mean for their bottom line.
America's sugar industry describes it as CAFTA on steroids. The ''it'' is a free-trade agreement being negotiated this week in Great Falls, Mont. -- estimated population 56,000 -- between the United States and Thailand, one of the world's largest sugar-exporting nations. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Survey: U.S. citizens split on trade pact
Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
Supporters of CAFTA-DR outnumber its opponents by a narrow margin according to a study released on Monday.
A new poll out Monday showed Americans support a free-trade deal with six Latin American nations by a narrow margin, but have misgivings over the negative effects of free trade. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Senate votes 54-45 to OK CAFTA
Date: Friday, July 1, 2005. By James Kuhnhenn, Knight Ridder Newspapers
The U.S. Senate approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement late Thursday by a vote of 54-45. Next, a vote must be taken in the House.
Both Florida Senators, Republican Mel Martinez and Democrat Bill Nelson, voted for the trade agreement. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Senate approves Central America trade deal
Date: Friday, July 1, 2005. By Jim Abrams, Associated Press
The House vote, expected in July, on the Central America Free Trade Agreement is certain to be close, but supporters expressed new confidence Thursday after a 54-45 vote in the Senate.
Fresh off a victory in the Senate, the Bush administration turned to the House in the drive to conclude a free trade agreement it says will promote democracy in Central America while opening new markets to American businesses. More>> (More Trade News >>)
State senator pushes reforms to stop abuse of farmworkers
Date: Thursday, June 30, 2005. By Ronnie Greene, The Miami Herald
As mounting civil lawsuits and criminal charges are filed alleging exploitation of farmworkers in North Florida, a state senator said it's time to change the way the industry does business.
In North Florida, where the farm fields are often tainted with abuse, a state senator is pushing a series of reforms that could shake the quiet nook of agriculture country and reshape the treatment of workers who harvest its crops. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
CAFTA wheeling, dealing begins
Date: Thursday, June 30, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
A Senate committee gave initial approval to a free-trade pact with Central America as the Bush administration granted concessions to some countries and the sugar industry.
Horse-trading to secure congressional passage of the controversial trade pact known as CAFTA-DR, the Bush administration on Wednesday offered more financial aid to some Central American nations and concessions to the U.S. sugar industry. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Open markets, free trade keys to reducing poverty for millions
Date: Sunday, June 26, 2005. By Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
What has happened to the Democrats over the past few decades is best captured by the phrase (coined by Kevin Phillips) ''reactionary liberalism.'' Spent of new ideas, their only remaining idea is to hang on to the status quo at all costs.
If we have learned anything from the last 25 years in China, India, Chile and other centers of amazing economic growth, it is that open markets and free trade are the keys to pulling millions, indeed hundreds of millions of people, out of poverty. The Central American Free Trade Agreement is a chance to do the same for desperately poor near-neighbors. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Sweet Sorrow
Date: Saturday, June 25, 2005. By Richard Lapper, Financial Times
The Caribbean is shocked as the EU proposed the first price cut to end their sugar regime.
It was never going to be easy for the English-speaking Caribbean to accept dismantling of the sugar protection regime that has shielded one of its core industries from international competition for much of its long history. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
CAFTA provides summer suspense in Washington
Date: Friday, June 24, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
D.C. cliffhanger: Can opponents kill CAFTA or can President Bush cajole and compel Congress to approve the treaty to make six Latin countries full trade partners?
After more than a year of false starts, the Bush administration Thursday sent a free-trade agreement with Central American nations and the Dominican Republic to Capitol Hill, setting up what is expected to be this summer's political blockbuster. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Cuba buys less U.S. food
Date: Friday, June 24, 2005. By Vanessa Arrington, Associated Press
Cuba is aiming to match last year's purchases of $475 million in U.S. farm sales, far short of its original intent.
Cuba will spend less than two-thirds of the money it had planned to invest in American farm goods this year because of increased U.S. restrictions, Cuba's top import official said Thursday. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA generates healthy debate
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2005. By David S. Broder, Washington Post
The fight over the Central American Free Trade Agreement is a stand-in for a much larger debate over economic policy and political leadership.
CAFTA in itself is small potatoes. Most of their products already enter the United States duty-free. Our exports to them are modest. But CAFTA comes before Congress this summer in an environment of increasingly serious economic debate. More>> (More Trade News >>)
U.S. House committee OK's CAFTA proposal
Date: Thursday, June 16, 2005. By Nancy San Martin, The Miami Herald
A U.S. House committee gave tentative approval to a proposed free trade agreement with Central American nations.
A panel in the House of Representatives moved closer Wednesday to final passage of a controversial free trade agreement with Central American nations that has been the source of intense lobbying efforts. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Trade fight over mango's origins could get juicy
Date: Thursday, June 16, 2005. By Associated Press
The Manila mango originally came from the Philippines, but Mexican growers, who say they improved on it, want to restrict the name to those grown in Mexico.
Mexico wants to officially adopt the Manila mango. Growers there are seeking a so-called domain of origin for the Manila mango. The process involves various government bodies and the World Trade Organization. More>> (More Other News >>)
New tactic used in labor case
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2005. By Ronnie Greene, The Miami Herald
In the newest crackdown on abuse against farmworkers, federal authorities are examining both environmental and exploitation issues.
In recent years, a dozen Florida farm contractors, smugglers and henchmen have landed in prison for crimes against farmworkers, including indentured servitude. Yet none of the cases had an environmental angle. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Unhealthy for U.S., Central America
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2005. By Fred Frost, The South Florida AFL-CIO
CAFTA, like NAFTA, will sell out America's jobs while doing nothing to pull people out of poverty in Central America.
CAFTA's predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement, was supposed to open markets for American goods and services, creating high-paying jobs at home and prosperity abroad. But the opposite has occurred. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Florida Citrus Mutual stands behind CAFTA
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2005. By The Miami Herald
Florida's largest citrus grower organization announced its endorsement of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
The citrus industry's support for CAFTA-DR will also strengthen our alliance with citrus-producing nations in Central America which share our interest in maintaining a fair playing field. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA opponents call for vote to kill trade deal
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2005. By Jim Abrams, Associated Press
The people clamoring most for a vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement are not its supporters but opponents confident they can kill it.
Backers of CAFTA had predicted a May vote on the pact that would eventually eliminate duties on almost all U.S. manufactured and farm products in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. U.S. officials signed the agreement May 28, 2004, but it must be approved by Congress to take effect. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Battered nation needs relief, not charity
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2005. By Carlos A. Rosales, The Miami Herald
To be able to rise again from extreme adversity, El Salvador needs the immediate approval of CAFTA.
Central American leaders argue that CAFTA is not just a trade deal but also a development strategy on which they have placed their hopes for boosting their economies. It is hoped that opening access to U.S. markets will increase foreign and national investment and create much-needed jobs. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Farmworkers show their muscle
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2005. By Mike Schneider, Associated Press
Taco Bell joins the effort to convince the fast-food industry to push for better treatment of farmworkers.
Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Louisville-based YUM! Brands, estimates it will pay the Florida tomato growers an extra $100,000, costs that won't be passed onto customers. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Big sugar's war on trade deal hurts U.S. consumers
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2005. By Andres Oppenheimer, The Miami Herald
Behind the CAFTA countries, 21 other sugar-exporting countries are lined up, like planes on a tarmac, waiting to do their deal with the U.S.
The United States today only imports about 10 percent of the sugar it consumes, and American consumers are paying almost twice what they would pay at world market prices. More>> (More Trade News >>)
U.S. trade pact may aid region, panelists say
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2005. By Saudy Peña, The Miami Herald
As Congress debates a trade pact with Central American nations, experts at an FIU conference say the pact could lead to dialogue in the region.
Despite some opposition in Central America, a trade agreement being considered by the U.S. Congress could become an important vehicle to drive dialogue about development issues in the region. More>> (More Trade News >>)
China accused of currency manipulation
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2005. By Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press
The Bush administration accused China of unfair trade practices, contending its currency system puts U.S. companies at a big competitive disadvantage.
The Bush administration warned China on Tuesday it must swiftly overhaul its currency system or face the likelihood of being accused of manipulations to gain an unfair trade advantage -- with economic sanctions possibly following that. More>> (More Trade News >>)
U.S. warns China to overhaul currency
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2005. By Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press
China could be cited as a currency manipulator and face economic sanctions unless it moves swiftly to overhaul its currency system.
Manufacturers and other critics, including Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress, contend that China's currency system puts U.S. companies at a big competitive disadvantage and has contributed to the loss of U.S. factory jobs. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Pact would strengthen region's democracies
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2005. By Carlos Alberto Montaner, Firma Press
If DR-CAFTA is approved, the democratic trend will be strengthened. If the U.S. Congress rejects the pact, however, the forces of populism will get a dangerous pat on the back.
The approval of DR-CAFTA, a free-trade agreement that will intensely promote all exchanges between that impoverished part of the world and the United States. Without that pact, there will be no political stability or economic development in the region. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Free-trade pact stalls as Bush begins his push in Congress
Date: Sunday, May 15, 2005. By Brian Harris, The Miami Herald
Costa Rica has yet to make any move to approve the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement pact, and local opponents of the pact are gaining political traction.
Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have already approved the pact and the deal is being debated in the Nicaraguan National Assembly, but in Costa Rica, instead of sending the agreement to the Legislative Assembly last month as expected, President Abel Pacheco announced he would name a five-member ''committee of nobles'' to analyze the deal. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Free-trade effort gets Bush support
Date: Friday, May 13, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
President Bush joined the leaders of six Latin American countries and promised to aggressively push for the passage of a free-trade bill.
Bringing the full weight of the presidency to bear on efforts to approve a contentious free trade bill with six small Latin American countries, President Bush Thursday promised for the first time to personally lobby in favor of the pact before Congress. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Leaders endorse free trade
Date: Thursday, May 12, 2005. By Tarek El-Tablawy, Associated Press
South American and Arab leaders join in endorsing free-trade rules that benefit the poor and greater cooperation between the two regions.
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, a socialist, and American-backed Iraqi President Jalal Talabani were joined dozens of other nations in approving a declaration at the end of the two-day Summit of South American and Arab Countries that also denounced terrorism, U.S. sanctions against Syria and Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA is a sour deal for sugar industry
Date: Thursday, May 12, 2005. By Robert E. Coker and Gaston Cantens, U.S. Sugar Corp. Florida Crystals
Florida sugar farmers already cannot sell all the sugar they can produce and have been forced to reduce their operations and lay off workers.
We remember the promises of all the economic and social benefits for the United States and Mexico if Congress would approve the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Today, no one could say with a straight face that it worked out as promised. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Trade gap hits lowest level in six months
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2005. By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press
The U.S. trade deficit fell sharply in March to $54.99 billion, the lowest level in six months, as U.S. exports climbed to an all-time high.
Even with the big improvement in March, the deficit through the first three months of this year is still running at an annual rate of $696 billion, 12.8 percent higher than the $617.08 billion record set for all of 2004. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Leaders lobby for CAFTA
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2005. By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press
Leaders from Central America embark on a journey to Capitol Hill to lobby in favor of the DR-CAFTA free-trade agreement.
Lobbyists for a day, six Latin American presidents are making a rare joint trek to the Capitol, trying to convince U.S. lawmakers that a free-trade agreement linking the United States with their countries is in everyone's best interest. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Chávez gaining support across region
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2005. By Steven Dudley, The Miami Herald
The ideological and economic influence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has spread throughout the Latin American nations.
When former Ecuadorean President Abdalá Bucaram addressed a rally last month on his return home from eight years in exile, he vowed to follow a path that he believed would make him popular again: that of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Chávez's trade fight
Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005. By Carlos Alberto Montaner, Firma Press
The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), promoted by the United States, has run into a cunning and quarrelsome opponent: the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas (ALBA), created by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez with the enthusiastic complicity of Fidel Castro.
It is very likely that neither option will take off. The FTAA will be hard put to overcome the opposition of the regional protectionist right allied with its U.S. counterpart, which has wed the left in a marriage of convenience sanctified by a large number of devout enemies of the freedom of trade. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Latin American leaders push for free trade
Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Three Central American presidents say DR-CAFTA will help solve problems such as poverty and immigration and will help strengthen democracy.
Three Central American presidents kicked off a barnstorming tour of America on Monday in Miami, urging support for a trade agreement they say will boost economic growth, reduce poverty, halt the flow of immigrants and strengthen democracy in the struggling region. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Trade compromise OK'd
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2005. By Sam Cage, Associated Press
Brazil agrees to a compromise deal on farm goods tariffs. The agreement has to be approved by all 148 WTO countries.
Trade ministers agreed on a compromise deal dealing with farm goods tariffs Wednesday, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said, breaking a stalemate that has held back negotiations on a global trade deal. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Key voters come out against pact
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2005. By Jim Abrams, Associated Press
Weak approach to worker rights and the administration's inadequate backing for retraining programs for U.S. workers hurt by the effects of trade.
Four Democratic representatives who are crucial swing votes in Republican efforts to win approval of a free-trade pact with Central America said Wednesday they would oppose the agreement because of what they consider weak labor provisions. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Centrist Democrats oppose Central American trade pact
Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2005. By Jim Puzzanghera, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., chair of the 41-member New Democrat Coalition in the House of Representatives, released a letter to President Bush asking him to renegotiate the Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA.
They said that the pact does not provide adequate protection for worker rights in the region and that the Bush administration needs to do more to help U.S. workers who have lost their jobs because of increased global trade. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Free trade pact faces new delays, opposition
Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2005. By The Miami Herald
Proponents of a free trade pact with Central America had hoped to win its passage in May, but that schedule may be slipping amid stubborn opposition in Congress.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Monday that while the trade agreement remains a top priority for the Bush administration, he could not say when President Bush would submit the implementing legislation to Congress. More>> (More Trade News >>)
FTAA in trouble, not dead, minister says
Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2005. By The Miami Herald
Argentina and its Mercosur partners -- Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- are ready to resume talks 'as long as they're equitable,' according to Rafael Bielsa, Argentina's foreign minister.
The FTAA, as the proposed deal is known, ''has failed so far due to the imbalance in the negotiations, but neither is there any impediment nor demand that is stopping us from moving forward,'' the minister said. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA may ruin U.S. sugar
Date: Friday, April 29, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
A think tank warns the sugar imports under the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement could disrupt the U.S. sugar program.
An independent think tank warned Thursday that increased sugar imports required by the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement could threaten the U.S. sugar program and turn it into a major burden on taxpayers. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Facts on CAFTA
Date: Monday, April 25, 2005. By U.S. Trade Representative
Trade, duties, sugar, and fabrics.
The United States exported nearly $11 billion in goods to the five Central American countries in 2003. Two-way trade was over $23 billion in 2003. When the Dominican Republic is added, two-way trade increases to $32 billion. CAFTA will create the second largest export market in Latin America, behind only Mexico. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Grapefruit reactions detailed on website
Date: Monday, April 25, 2005. By Susan Salibury, The Palm Beach Post
The website at www.Druginteraction.org offers information on how grapefruit juice interacts with enzymes in the body affecting the way certain drugs are metabolized.
''Food and other nutrients can impact the effectiveness of prescription and over-the-counter drugs with clinically significant results,'' Veronika Butterweck, an assistant professor and co-director of UF's Center for Food-Drug Interaction Research and Education, said in a statement. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Senator battles funding for FTAA
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
State senator Mike Fasano questions funding for Florida's effort to land a trade headquarters in Miami and says Brazil's lukewarm position on FTAA helps.
Sen. Mike Fasano, a Republican from New Port Richey, said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's remarks that the FTAA is a low priority for Brazil will only help his effort to strip $525,000 in funding for Florida FTAA, the group lobbying to have Miami named as the headquarters for the proposed hemispheric trade pact. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Farmers plan to reduce wheat and canola acreage
Date: Friday, April 22, 2005. By Christopher Donville and Alexandre Deslongchamps, Bloomberg News
According to a government survey, Canadian growers will reduce the planting of the grains because of rising fertilizer and fuel costs and depressed prices.
Canadian farmers, the world's thirdlargest wheat exporters, said they plan to reduce planting of the grain this year, a government survey showed. Canola acreage may also fall. More>> (More Other News >>)
CAFTA opponents believe they have enough votes
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2005. By Jim Abrams, Associated Press
Opponents of the Central American Free Trade Agreement say they have enough votes to kill the deal; supporters are ready to put up a fight.
Opponents of a free-trade agreement with six Central American and Caribbean countries said Wednesday they have the votes to kill the deal when it comes up for a House vote. Supporters declared they have just begun to fight. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Lula: FTAA is 'off the agenda'
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2005. By Alan Clendenning, Associated Press
Brazil's president calls a free trade zone ''off the agenda'' for South America's largest economy, focusing instead on relations with its neighbors.
Lula made the comments about the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas to a gathering of labor leaders in the capital of Brasilia just days before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to visit Brazil, the largest economy in South America. More>> (More Trade News >>)
CAFTA backers lash out at sugar interests in U.S.
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2005. By Jane Bussey, The Miami Herald
Supporters of the Central American Free Trade Agreement lashed out at sugar interests in a Coral Gables conference to push for congressional passage of the trade pact.
Florida is in the epicenter of the DR-CAFTA debate. Not only does the state have a large sugar industry, but South Florida plays a key role in the textile trade, serving as a major springboard for shipping textiles to Central American assembly plants and receiving finished apparel. More>> (More Trade News >>)
U.S. battle ensues over CAFTA
Date: Thursday, April 14, 2005. By Pablo Bachelet, The Miami Herald
A Senate hearing previews a bruising battle to pass a Domincan Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Launching a Congressional trade battle that promises to be the fiercest since NAFTA was approved 11 years ago, a Senate committee Wednesday opened hearings on a free trade pact with Central America and the Dominican Republic. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Forestry is now biggest segment of Florida agriculture
Date: Thursday, April 14, 2005. By Chuck Woods, UF/IFAS
The forestry industry now has the biggest economic impact on the state - eclipsing citrus, vegetables and ornamentals in terms of output.
Annual output or sales impacts in the forest products industry exceed $16.6 billion, creating 133,475 jobs, with $7.5 billion in value-added personal and business income, and generating more than $581 million in local, state and federal taxes (excluding income taxes). More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Commerce Secretary freely trades his views
Date: Monday, April 11, 2005. By Gregg Fields, The Miami Herald
As commerce secretary, Carlos Gutierrez is a key ambassador in selling President Bush's economic policies abroad and domestically.
As commerce secretary, Carlos Gutierrez is a key ambassador in selling President Bush's economic policies abroad and domestically. But that's not the only reason he was so wildly applauded at the Little Havana Activities and Nutritional Center on April 1. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Bill promotes sprawl
Date: Monday, April 11, 2005. By The Miami Herald
Our Opinion: State Senate Committee Should Reject SB 716.
Last year, Gov. Jeb Bush gave the so-called ''Agricultural Enclave'' bill the fate it deserved: He vetoed it. Now it's back, having been approved by the House. Today the Agriculture and Economic Development Act comes before the Senate Environmental Preservation Committee. If approved it will move to the Senate floor. But it doesn't deserve approval this year any more than in 2004. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
Fish-farm advocates finally hook president
Date: Monday, April 4, 2005. By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press
After years of prodding by marine biologists, the Bush administration has backed a plan for turning idle Gulf of Mexico oil platforms into fish farms.
Thousands of oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico could be converted into deep-sea fish farms raising red snapper, mahi mahi, yellowfin tuna and flounder, under a plan backed by the Bush administration. More>> (More Other News >>)
Facing foreign opposition, EU defends banana tariff
Date: Friday, April 1, 2005. By Bloomberg News
The WTO will decide by September whether the proposed tariff will reduce Latin America's market share.
The European Union defended its planned changes to banana tariffs, saying they're consistent with international trade rules and won't curb Latin American countries' access to the EU market. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Bush focuses on CAFTA
Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2005. By Martin Crutsinger, The Associated Press
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez outlined the Bush administration's goal to open up markets in Central America and the Caribbean.
The Bush administration's drive to remove trade barriers to U.S. exports is working and needs to be expanded with a new free-trade agreement with six Latin American countries. More>> (More Trade News >>)
This Trade Pact Won't Sail Through
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Paul Magnusson, Business Week.
Expect a bruising CAFTA debate as both parties try to score points with Latinos.
In the three years since Congress handed the White House carte blanche to negotiate free-trade deals, lawmakers from both parties have rubber-stamped a handful of minor pacts. But the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), scheduled for Apr. 6 hearings, promises to be a bitter battle as both parties maneuver to appeal to Hispanic voters. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Approval would boost FTAA deal
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Jorge L. Arrizurieta, Florida FTAA, Inc.
After NAFTA's success, DR-CAFTA represents a stepping-stone for the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, an agreement which seeks to liberalize trade among the 34 democracies in the Western Hemisphere.
The DR-CAFTA was negotiated between the United States, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua and was signed by all participating nations last summer. The agreement seeks to boost exports, productivity, employment and trade among the member nations by liberalizing their market economies. More>> (More Trade News >>)
Disasters, rising land values compel growers to sell groves
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Susan Salibury, The Palm Beach Post
For the famed Indian River grapefruit region, that moment is going to come sooner than anybody expected.
The storms and the canker accelerate the whole question of whether the citrus industry will remain a viable economic return for South Florida farmers. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
State among top 10 for woman-operate farms
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Susan Salibury, The Palm Beach Post
Of the 44,081 farms in Florida, 8,116, or 18 percent, were run by women, according to the 2002 Census of Agriculture.
Florida ranks in the top 10 states for farms that have a woman as principal operator, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. More>> (More Farmers News >>)
S. Fla. to get first coffee plantation
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Nikki Waller, The Miami Herald
Florida coffee drinkers may soon wake up to a Broward-grown brew.
J.C. Nadeau, as if an alchemist-turned-coffee-roaster, is betting his locally grown coffee will be tastier and more pure than pricier blends. The Coconut Creek resident is importing Colombian coffee plants that are customized for Florida's unique soil. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Coffee producers: Is it truly 'Fair Trade'?
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Celeste Mackenzie, The Miami Herald
Central American coffee producing co-ops are better paid under fair traid, but prices could be better.
Eventually, North America consumers will sip the brew made from the family's coffee beans, which are both ''Fair Trade'' certified and certified organic. They are sold by the local cooperative, La Voz, to roasters such as Vermont's Green Mountain. More>> (More Commodity News >>)
Fair Trade price certification spurs debate
Date: Monday, March 28, 2005. By Celeste Mackenzie, The Miami Herald
Fair trad