California Ag Tax Credit Proposal Dropped and Ag Exports to Mexico Surge
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Farm advocates and farmworkers left California’s state Capitol disappointed last month after a proposed tax credit aimed at assisting farms and boosting farm employment opportunities failed to advance out of Committee.
Senate Bill 628’s tax credit would have offset the cost to farmers paying overtime wages.
The bill was designed to address California’s 2016 agricultural overtime law, intended to boost farmworkers pay but ended up costing them lost hours and income.
**U.S. food and agricultural exports to Mexico surged 65% the past four years, making it the fastest-growing export market for many American ag products and commodities.
Mexico’s growth as a destination for U.S. exports is spurred by its booming post-COVID economy and a rapidly growing manufacturing sector.
According to CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, Mexico will likely surpass Canada to claim the number one spot for the first time in 2025 despite emerging headwinds.
**The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce signed an MOU to improve cooperation between the U.S. and Indonesian dairy industries.
The Memorandum outlines a framework for collaboration to support enhanced dairy trade, strengthen commercial cooperation, and bolster public nutrition through promoting greater consumption of dairy products.
The agreement also emphasizes support for school milk programs as a catalyst for child health and educational success.
