Federal

From the Capital Press The record-shattering heat wave in the Pacific Northwest has prompted fishing and conservation groups to ask a federal court to order more spill from dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers next spring to aid the migration of salmon and steelhead to the Pacific Ocean. Read the rest of the story here. Read More »

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is authorizing emergency procedures to help agricultural producers impacted by extreme drought conditions. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas. These new crop insurance flexibilities are part of USDA’s ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A bipartisan group of 21 Northwest lawmakers called on President Joe Biden to prioritize a long-running effort to renegotiate a 60-year-old treaty that governs how the United States and Canada share the waters of the Columbia River Basin. In a Tuesday letter to Biden, Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and ... Read More »

Starting July 1, 2021, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) will formally launch its new Industry Partners Program (IPP).  Syngenta, Ardent Mills, Farm Credit Council and FMC will be welcomed as members to the organization through the IPP, where they will help bring a unique perspective to NAWG. “We are grateful to the four members who have shown their support for ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making improvements to crop insurance to better enable agricultural producers to manage risk on their operations.  Specifically, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is adding new options for producers of dry beans, dry peas, and small grains, such as wheat. RMA is making these changes through three Final Rules, which posted this month on ... Read More »

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) congratulate the Biden Administration and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai for resolving the long-running World Trade Organization dispute over aircraft subsidies and suspending retaliatory tariffs that were a barrier to U.S. wheat exports to the European Union. Under the dispute, the EU placed retaliatory tariffs on non-durum U.S. ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will redefine “waters of the United States,” claiming the Trump administration’s rule left streams unprotected, particularly in the arid Southwest. The Environmental Protection Agency said it won’t return to the 2015 Obama administration’s WOTUS definition, but will revert to the pre-Obama rule and then write a new one. Read the ... Read More »

From agriculture.com The grain market is wavering – like it’s teetering on the top of a cliff. Of course, we don’t know which side it will fall on (up or down), but it’s certainly going one way or the other. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From agweb.com Corn was $3.20 per bushel when Kyle Mehmen signed his first carbon contract 18 months ago. Today, corn prices are above breakeven, which buoys his spirits. Even so, Mehmen, general manager of MBS Family Farms, based in northeast Iowa, is still bullish on carbon and has crop acres enrolled in four different programs. “Carbon markets pay for practices ... Read More »

From agweb.com Farmers who insured their crops this year and made the decision to plant cover crops will now be eligible for a financial bonus from USDA. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the Pandemic Cover Crop Program, which allows farmers who planted cover crops to be eligible for a crop insurance premium. The assistance is $5 dollars an acre crop insurance premium discount for certain producers. ... Read More »