A Chinese envoy will head to Washington on Wednesday to prepare for trade negotiations. The announcement Tuesday follows conciliatory gestures by both sides ahead of the October talks on their fight over trade and technology. A deputy finance minister, Liao Min, will lead a delegation to Washington to “pave the way” for the 13th round of negotiations, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It gave no details of their agenda. (Associated Press)

Under pressure from rural lawmakers, House Democratic leaders are expected to ensure USDA can continue making trade assistance payments after the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. A provision requested by the White House to replenish USDA’s Commodity Credit Corp. borrowing authority is likely to be included in a stopgap spending bill that the House is expected to consider this week. “Although we mutually have concerns with President Trump’s approach to trade negotiations, we refuse to engage in the same tactics that punish our constituents and harm our communities that rely on agriculture. We cannot and will not allow our

Some combines finally emerged slowly out of storage sheds last week. While harvest progress was extremely limited, at least a few initial crop reports were fairly positive despite extreme crop variability. Massac County farmer Marc Bremer harvested corn four consecutive days last week and was pleasantly surprised with yields slightly above average from a field planted in mid-May. “There’s no guarantees this (early harvested corn) is our best or our worst. Like a lot of people, we’re not going to know exactly what this crop is until it hits the bin,” Bremer said. (FarmWeekNow)

Agriculture leaders want to remind farmers about the dangers of anhydrous ammonia. “Anhydrous ammonia is a compressed liquid gas with a nitrogen source. A liquid fertilizer we’ll call it,” said Ag-Land FS Operations Manager Eric Long. “You want to take precautions. Number one you want to have the proper protective equipment. Gloves, goggles is minimum,” said Long. Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association will hold classes for farmers to learn how to properly handle anhydrous ammonia. (Central Illinois Proud)

When Illinois’ new law legalizing recreational marijuana takes effect Jan. 1, growers will face some of the strongest energy efficiency and reporting requirements in the country. Marijuana can be an energy intensive crop. The new electricity load to power lighting, heating and ventilation for indoor grow facilities has strained the grid and even caused blackouts in other places after it was legalized. The Illinois law seeks to avoid those problems by mandating efficiency standards and capping the amount of power used per square foot. (Energy News Network)

House Democrats are considering a stopgap spending bill that could prevent or slow delivery of President Trump’s trade aid payments to farmers after the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., has proposed to deny a request from the White House to include a provision in the continuing resolution keeping the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) from going over its $30 billion borrowing limit. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been using the CCC authority to make payments under the Market Facilitation Program. The House is scheduled to vote next week on the bill. (Agri-Pulse)