Federal

Summer is near but farm bill may be months away

From agriculture.com The Senate and House Agriculture committees are weeks or even months away from drafting the 2023 farm bill, a remarkably late start for what is always a detailed and time-consuming process. The new farm bill would be the most expensive ever and is likely to be completed after the Sept. 30 expiration of the current farm law, if ... Read More »

Wheat growers support EPA decision

Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Sackett v. EPA that narrows the extent of federal jurisdiction over bodies of water under the Clean Water Act. “NAWG (the National Association of Wheat Growers) is pleased with the rule the Supreme Court issued today that rejected the confusing and expansive ‘significant nexus’ test that broadened the jurisdiction of the Clean ... Read More »

Farm input costs expected to rise 4% in 2023

Reprinted with permission from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Minority Blog Alongside historic inflation across the broader U.S. economy, the highest in over 40 years, farmers and ranchers across the country experienced their own version of inflation: soaring land values, cash rents, fertilizer, fuel, chemical, animal feed, machinery, and interest expenses, among many others. The U.S. ... Read More »

NAWG Responds to USDA’s Announcement of Disaster Aid Implementation

Today, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to implement the $3.7 billion Congress appropriated for disaster aid in calendar year 2022. The Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) will help assist crop and livestock producers who suffered losses due to qualifying natural disasters in 2022. To facilitate the process, the ... Read More »

Myth-busting FSA’s new revenue-based disaster, pandemic assistance programs

By Zach Ducheneaux Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency In January, we announced two new programs designed to assist producers who experienced revenue losses from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs are revenue-based and feel a little different from our regular programs, but the goal is to better support farmers. Both the Emergency Relief ... Read More »

US Plains farmers brace for historically poor winter wheat harvest

From agriculture.com Production prospects for the U.S. winter wheat crop are the worst in recent memory in core areas of the Great Plains following a three-year drought, farmers and crop experts said. “I don’t know how to put it into words how bad it is,” said farmer Gary Millershaski in southwest Kansas, among the areas hit hardest by drought. He ... Read More »

NAWG testifies at farm safety net hearing 

National Association of Wheat Growers President and Klamath Falls, OR wheat farmer Brent Cheyne, testified in front of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade during the “Commodity Programs, Credit, and Crop Insurance – Part 1: Producer Perspectives on The Farm Safety Net” hearing. “With the rising input costs, decreasing net farm income, and the smallest winter ... Read More »

NAWG testifies during 2023 Farm Bill hearing 

National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President and Klamath Falls, Ore., wheat farmer Brent Cheyne, testified in front of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit where he joined the “Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill” hearing. Cheyne highlighted NAWG’s primary farm bill priorities, including the importance of maintaining and enhancing crop insurance, both ... Read More »

Number of U.S. farms continues to decline, but farm size grows slightly

After peaking at 6.8 million farms in 1935, the number of U.S. farms and ranches fell sharply through the early 1970s. Rapidly falling farm numbers in the mid-20th century reflect the growing productivity of agriculture, increased mechanization, and increased nonfarm employment opportunities. Since 1982, the number of U.S. farms has continued to decline, but much more slowly. In 2022, there ... Read More »

Join NAWG’s Campaign to Support MAP/FMD Legislation

Join the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) advocacy campaign to engage with legislators on increasing Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs authorized in the farm bill. MAP’s authorized funding has not changed since 2006, and FMD funding has remained the same since 2002, so inflation and sequestration have significantly eroded the ability to compete with other ... Read More »