Source: POLITCO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 9/25/18

The Trump administration's trade assistance program for U.S. farmers and ranchers hurting from retaliatory tariffs will face questioning today from the World Trade Organization's agriculture committee, our friends at Pro Trade tell us. Officials from Australia, Canada, the EU, India, Japan and New Zealand will do the grilling.

Questions will include: How long will the trade assistance be available? How did USDA develop its formula for direct payments to certain farmers? And how will the payments affect prices and production?

Why do other countries care? WTO members appear concerned that the USDA aid program will push the U.S. over its $19.1 billion farm subsidy limit that was set when the U.S. joined the organization. For their part, U.S. officials have rejected such concerns.