The Center for Democracy in the Americas, a group that advocates a more liberal relationship between the United States and Cuba, last week published a report on economic reform in Cuba, including a section on agriculture. Read More...

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson on Thursday praised a Senate Appropriations Committee vote to allow direct cash transfers between U.S. and Cuban financial institutions. The vote was 20 to 10, NFU said. Read More...

The White House announced late today that President Obama has directed the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security to take a series of steps to ease American travel to Cuba. The new rules will allow religious organizations to sponsor religious travel to Cuba, make educational and academic exchanges easier, and make it easier for Cuban Americans to see their families in Cuba and send money to people outside their families. “The president believes these actions, combined with the continuation of the embargo, are important steps in reaching the widely shared goal of a Cuba that respects the basic rights of all its citizens,” the White House statement said. Read More...