Publication archives

May 29, 2020

IATP Statement on the Death of George Floyd

by
IATP
The death of George Floyd in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer on Monday night profoundly saddened all of us at IATP. Minneapolis is the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s home, and we are grounded in our community.  We continue to deeply feel and grapple with the immense injustice of Mr. Floyd’s death and the evolving events that have followed in ou
May 21, 2020

Shocking the markets: Excessive speculation and climate change

by
Dr. Steve Suppan
On May 13, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) issued a warning to the trading platforms, clearing organizations (the back office processing of trades) and futures cont
TMI price drop
May 18, 2020

Comment to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Position Limits

by
Dr. Steve Suppan
Proposed Rule: Position Limits for Derivatives (PR 2020) RIN 3038–AD99    Submitted electronically to CFTC Comments Portal: https://comments.cftc.gov    
May 14, 2020

Letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Markets Risk Advisory Committee's Climate Related Market Risk Subcommittee

by
Dr. Steve Suppan
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the issues identified in the Notice. IATP first wrote on June 19, 2019 to the Commission on these issues. We are responding to four of five topics outlined in the Notice, plus our “Urgency and ambition” topic. IATP hopes that these brief comments will help the Subcommittee prepare its report for MRAC. We look forward to reading the report and to commenting on the CFTC’s proposals for implementing the “actionable materials” recommended by MRAC following its review of the report.
May 13, 2020

Rising calls for supply management amidst COVID-19 crisis

by
Shefali Sharma
“You can't shut down cows. You can't turn them off like a faucet.”
Milk for sale
May 5, 2020

US-Kenya FTA and the rights to land and food

by
Karen Hansen-Kuhn
You might be surprised to learn that while we’re all sheltering in place and wondering what comes next, trade negotiations that could set labor, environmental and climate rules for decades to come are moving forward. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced plans to negotiate a free-trade agreement with Kenya. This would be the first free-trade agreement the U.S. has negotiated with an African nation.
Kenyan flag in field
May 4, 2020

Minnesota regulators side with mega-farm

by
Tara Ritter
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released its decision last week on whether to permit Daley Farms, one of the largest dairies in the state, to expand from 1,500 to 4,000 cows. Despite concerns about climate change and water quality impacts of industrial feedlots, the agency decided to award Daley Farms a permit to expand.
dairy farm in homer NY
May 1, 2020

Cold hard (storage) facts about meatpacker threats of scarcity

by
Dr. Steve Suppan
"It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running,” said Smithfield Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth Sullivan when he announced the closing of its Sioux Falls, South Dakota slaughterhouse due to a COVID-19 outbreak among more than 200 Smithfield workers.
Workers at a slaughterhouse