Agribusiness Update for Wednesday 07/02/14

The World Trade Organization's report on Country Of Origin Labeling's compliance with trade obligations has reportedly been transmitted to the U.S. government - but not yet been made available to the public - according to National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson. Despite that fact - Johnson says the multinational meatpackers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce are pushing to repeal COOL without knowing the full findings of the WTO compliance study. He says urging Congress to repeal COOL laws before the WTO report is issued is just another desperate attempt by COOL opponents to prevent consumers from having access to basic information about their food.

USDA continues the implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill - including provisions providing new risk management options to farmers and ranchers. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says crop insurance is critical to the ongoing success of today's farmers and ranchers and the ag economy - and improvements to these programs will provide additional flexibility to ensure families don't lose everything due to events beyond their control. USDA is also acting to provide more support to beginning farmers and ranchers to more effectively manage risk.

That's today's Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.