Federal

American farmers and rural businesses need continued investment in the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program to make up for lost export opportunities in the pandemic and to fight foreign competition. That is the message the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports sent March 9, 2021, in letters to House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline from March 5 to April 9 for agricultural producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program because of recent winter storms and some clarifications to program rules. This program assists producers who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. “Because of recent winter ... Read More »

Last week, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) concluded its annual conference, which entailed organizational action and adoption of 2021 policy priorities. Given the impacts of COVID-19 over the past year, the board re-elected the same slate of officers to continue in their roles for 2021. With that action, the board has re-elected Dave Milligan (Michigan) as president; Nicole ... Read More »

Agricultural producers wanting to enhance current conservation efforts are encouraged to renew their existing Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Classic contract. Through CSP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service helps private landowners improve their business while implementing conservation practices that help ensure the sustainability of their entire operation. Application for CSP Classic are due by March 31, ... Read More »

By Trista Crossley Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), and Josh Tonsager, vice president of policy and communications for NAWG, joined growers on a webinar last month to discuss the issues NAWG is working on for the wheat industry in the other Washington. The session was part of the 2021 Agricultural Marketing and Management Organization’s ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) are pleased with the bipartisan U.S. Senate vote approving the appointment of former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to that important post again under the Biden-Harris Administration. “We welcome Secretary Vilsack’s return to USDA in a year ... Read More »

From Progressive Farmer Members of Congress are urging the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Small Business Administration to issue new clarifications that would make more farmers and ranchers eligible for forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. But with less than six weeks until the application deadline, there’s little time for SBA to change its guidance. Read the rest ... Read More »

Funded by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program provides assistance to producers who suffered eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters occurring in 2018 and 2019. The deadline to apply for QLA is March 5, 2021. Eligible crops include those for which federal crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General sign-up period, which had previously been announced as ending on Feb. 12, 2021. USDA will continue to accept offers as it takes this opportunity for the incoming administration to evaluate ways to increase enrollment. Under the previous administration, incentives and rental payment rates were reduced, resulting ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) wants to remind producers that they have until March 15, 2021, to select and enroll in either the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program for the 2021 crop year. Failure to make a valid election and enrollment for the 2021 program year by that date will result in ineligibility ... Read More »