Nine months ago, following the signing of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) called on Congress to rapidly consider and ratify the agreement. After a long and disappointing wait, a real window of opportunity for a vote on TPP will soon open when the legislative session resumes this week. We call ... Read More »

Below is a summary compiled by Washington Association of Wheat Growers’ lobbyist Diana Carlen of the election results in Washington state as of last night. There are still a number of votes to count in the coming days. Governor Inslee has easily been reelected to a second term. We are also likely to continue to have split control in the Legislature ... Read More »

The National Wheat Foundation (NWF) is accepting applications for the 2016 Jerry Minore Memorial Scholarship. Four scholarships will be awarded to students who have a personal connection to the wheat industry and a planned career path in agriculture. In its fifth year, the Jerry Minore Memorial Scholarship honors both high school and college students who have demonstrated success in academics and ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Lawmakers and other officials say they’ll consider all funding sources to reduce the cost of bringing Columbia River water to Odessa Subarea farms. The sentiment was expressed several times during the Columbia Basin Development League’s annual meeting last week. Farmers in the Odessa Subarea want to replace shrinking groundwater supplies with surface water from the federal Columbia ... Read More »

It was a back-to-business type of board meeting for the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) in October with updates on state and regional issues and the upcoming convention taking center stage. The falling number (FN) issue is still on many growers’ minds, especially when it comes to the Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) reporting rules on FN discounts. WAWG’s Executive ... Read More »

Two high school seniors have been selected to represent Washington wheat farmers and will serve as the Washington Wheat Ambassadors for the upcoming year. Tessa Jantz of Ritzville and Nicholas Schultheis of Colton were selected after an initial written application process that also included submitting a short introductory video. Jantz and Schultheis will each be giving a speech at the ... Read More »

By Elizabeth Westendorf U.S. Wheat Associates Policy Specialist  Every year, the U.S. Congress requires the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to submit a comprehensive report detailing the trade barriers and policy challenges facing exported U.S. goods and services. The annual National Trade Estimate (NTE), which came in at more than 450 pages last year, takes months of collaborative work ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A third straight year of low returns for grain growers has set the stage for strained finances and analysts are cautioning farmers about the risks of using long-term assets to finance another year of production. “The situation right now is we’re coming off of three years where virtually every acre of production lost money,” said Sterling ... Read More »

From NAWG The election is less than two weeks away, and as we’re all aware, campaign activity is in full force. This time of year, more than ever, is a key opportunity for you to have your elected officials’ ear, particularly as your senators and members of Congress are likely holding town halls and other public events across your state and ... Read More »

Last week, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Gordon Stoner attended a Farm Bill Discussion Forum hosted by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), where he participated in a panel discussing what is needed in the 2018 Farm Bill to assist producers through this period of low prices and surplus commodities. Stoner said the consensus at the panel was that protecting crop insurance ... Read More »