Yesterday, the executive committee of the Congressional Western Caucus voted unanimously to elect Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) as chairman of the Western Caucus for the 117th Congress. The Western Caucus, currently led by Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), is a bipartisan coalition of nearly 70 members of Congress from 35 different states and territories who advocate for rural, western and resource-based communities. ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the sign-up periods for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the CRP Grasslands in 2021. Sign-up for general CRP will be open from Jan. 4, 2021, to Feb. 12, 2021, and sign-up for CRP Grasslands runs from March 15, 2021, to April 23, 2021. Both programs are competitive and provide annual rental ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The reelection defeat of U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson in Minnesota and some key retirements mean a shakeup is coming for the industry on Capitol Hill, with power likely to shift from the Midwest to the South and the coasts. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From NASS There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork in Washington last week, down from 5.4 days the previous week. San Juan County cooled down and had more rain. There were still some great crops coming off CSA farms. Livestock were on stockpiled feed on most farms. Others were letting livestock over-graze pastures, giving little or no rest for fall ... Read More »

The National Wheat Foundation’s (NWF) National Wheat Yield Contest offers growers the opportunity to compete with farmers from across the U.S. and improve their production practices through new and innovative techniques. Today, NWF is announcing the national winners for the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest. “This year the Foundation is awarding four Bin Buster winners, one from each of the ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers has joined dozens of Northwest leaders in signing a letter to the governors of Washington, Oregon and Idaho asking them to explore solutions to salmon recovery that are grounded in science; take into consideration the social cost of carbon; and balance the purposes of the Columbia-Snake River System (flood control, navigation, recreation, irrigation and ... Read More »

From NAWG Last week, via zoom, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) held its annual Fall Conference where its policy committees and full board met. NAWG’s annual conference kicked off with its Domestic and Trade Policy Committee meeting, where the committee continued discussions on rail rate policy; domestic farm programs with an eye towards farm bill reauthorization; Grain Standards ... Read More »

The National Wheat Foundation has officially begun accepting applications for the Jerry Minore Scholarship, honoring students pursuing a career in agriculture. The scholarship is available to college students for the 2021-2022 academic year with an application deadline of Dec. 31, 2020. “The scholarship is meant to recognize those students who have shown a passion for agriculture both inside and outside ... Read More »

By Shelbi Knisley Director of Trade Policy, U.S. Wheat Associates Last week, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for the annual National Trade Estimates (NTE) report. The NTE report allows U.S. industry organizations to highlight and comment on trade barriers impacting their trade opportunities to the U.S. government. USW highlighted several key ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Which parties control the U.S. House and Senate — and not the outcome of the presidential election — will impact the commodity markets most, an agricultural economist says. “It’s pretty clear that the Senate and the House aren’t going to change leadership, so that’s some certainty that’s been interjected into the market,” said Randy Fortenbery, small ... Read More »