As planting delays continue to keep farmers out of their fields, with some confronted with standing water or weed issues, University of Illinois agronomist Emerson Nafziger cautions farmers not to push the panic button, yet. “It’s not desperation time, yet,” Nafziger said. “May is still a good time to plant. The (potential) yield loss per day is not very large now.” (FarmWeekNow)

U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue picked up his BBQ tongs Monday while visiting Tokyo to express his hope for a fair trade deal between the U.S. and Japan. “From my perspective and our farmers in America, I’d have preferred it done yesterday, but the reality is these things take time,” Perdue said. (Washington Post)

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday acknowledged that the Chinese do not directly pay tariffs on goods coming into the U.S., contradicting President Trump’s claims that China will pay for U.S.-imposed tariffs. “Both sides will suffer on this,” Kudlow said, arguing that China will suffer significant GDP losses as export markets are hit. On the other hand, he said the blow to U.S. GDP, on the other hand, won’t be substantial since the economy is “in terrific shape.” (CNBC)

The Trump administration has said it will begin work on a new program to provide aid to farmers affected by the trade war. One of President Trump’s proposed solutions, tweeted Friday, is that the U.S. could use tariff revenue to buy “agricultural products from our Great Farmers, in larger amounts than China ever did, and ship it to poor & starving countries in the form of humanitarian assistance.” (Politico)