Water Usage Down and China and 14 Others Sign New Trade Agreement
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**Water use for U.S. agriculture decreased for most crops and livestock production between 1995 and 2010.
Water use for irrigation in most crops decreased by 8.3% while water use for livestock declined by 14%, according to Sandy Dall'erba, regional economist at the University of Illinois and co-author of the study.
Dall’erba tells agweb.com, a number of factors contributed to reduced water use in grains, fruits and vegetables, including improved irrigation, domestic per-capita income and sales to the food processing industry.
https://www.agweb.com/article/new-research-sheds-light-us-agricultures-water-usage?mkt/
**In an effort to guide development of federal climate policy, groups from the farm, food, forest, environmental and governmental sectors have teamed to offer recommendations intended to support positive change.
Known as the ‘Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance,’ the group released a set of more than 40 recommendations last week.
They stress voluntary, incentive-based programs to promote adaptation in rural communities.
**China and 14 other countries have signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest free trade agreement.
The deal, which doesn’t include the U.S., covers trade and economic and technical cooperation and represents nearly 30 percent of the world’s population.
The deal includes Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.
The National Pork Producers Council sees tremendous market opportunity in Southeast Asia, and among its top priorities is U.S. participation in the revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership.
