Federal

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) has joined 19 other advocates to launch the “Farm Bill for America’s Families: Sustaining our Future” campaign to urge Congress to pass the 2023 Farm Bill this year. The campaign seeks to engage consumers, leaders, and lawmakers on the importance of the farm bill and highlights five core objectives: food security, job creation, ... Read More »

From npr.org On July 17 the Russian government announced that it was pulling out of a deal to facilitate the export of millions of tons of grain from Ukrainian ports. The arrangement had been in place since July 2022. The Kremlin’s move immediately sparked concern, particularly in food insecure countries. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From dtnpf.com Russia on Monday declined to extend the year-old agreement that has allowed Ukrainian grain to move out of Black Sea shipping ports, a move that immediately drove up commodity prices in response. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From Reuters A deal allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea expires on July 17 and with Moscow saying it sees no grounds for an extension there are fears it may collapse. Why is it important? Ukraine is a major producer of grains and oilseeds and the interruption to its exports at the outbreak of war pushed global ... Read More »

From the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association On July 10, the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) released a review of scientific literature which confirms that data is lacking to confirm delayed mortality effects of the Lower Snake River dams (LSRD) on ESA listed fish. Delayed mortality is the scientific hypothesis that proponents of dam breaching rely upon to justify removal of ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers Sens. Bennet (D-Colo.) and Marshall (R-Kan.) have introduced new legislation to improve the flexibility of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) crop insurance programming for wheat farmers facing unprecedented drought. Currently, farmers do not have the option through the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to separately ensure enterprise units by fallow or continuous ... Read More »

From The Columbian Until a crisis arose last month over the debt ceiling, the Farm Bill was expected to be the most significant challenge facing Congress this year. When lawmakers return to session following a Fourth of July recess, that challenge will take center stage. The Farm Bill is a multiyear omnibus package of legislation that funds U.S. nutrition, conservation ... Read More »

Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) testified June 26, 2023, in front of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries regarding the importance of the Columbia Snake River System, and the Lower Snake River Dams in particular, for wheat farmers in the state of Washington. “Farmers, including myself and my family, ... Read More »

On June 21, Reps. Tracey Mann (R-Kan.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) introduced the American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) applauds this bipartisan effort to keep the food in America’s international food aid programs as Congress looks to reauthorize the farm bill in 2023. As part of ... Read More »

From the Capital Press U.S. Wheat Associates, the overseas marketing arm for American wheat farmers, recently held its South and Southeast Asia Marketing Conference for the first time in 12 years. During the conference, industry members establish or strengthen relationships with buyers and looks for opportunities for collaboration to increase the use of U.S. wheat classes, said Joe Sowers, regional ... Read More »