Federal

Late last night, the House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) by a vote of 228-206, which was first passed by the Senate in August. The bill will now go to President Biden for his signature. “NAWG applauds this historic investment in our traditional infrastructure, which is critical to rural communities and agriculture’s long-term success ... Read More »

From dtnpf.com Farmers and ranchers who may be hoping for a quick resolution of current supply chain problems dogging agriculture and other industries may not see it for some time, two trade experts said during a Zoom call with agricultural journalists this week. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The National Wheat Foundation’s (NWF) National Wheat Yield Contest (NWYC) offers growers the opportunity to compete with farmers from across the U.S. and improve their production practices through new and innovative techniques. The NWF is happy to announce the national and state winners for the 2021 National Wheat Yield Contest. See the national winners and read more about their entries ... Read More »

From agriculture.com Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Friday that the USDA would spend up to $1.15 billion to bring high-speed internet services to people living in rural communities. The money would be available in loans and grants to providers who offer service with download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second in areas that lack high-speed internet. Read the ... Read More »

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Washington Grain Commission were contacted by the staff of Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray this week to make us aware of a forthcoming process to investigate the economic and environmental impacts of breaching the four lower Snake River dams. As reported in several media outlets, Gov. Inslee commented on his ... Read More »

Members of the Washington and Oregon delegation signed onto a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging USDA to take all statutory eligibilities into account when distributing the $10 billion in aid to Pacific Northwest agricultural producers hit hard by extreme heat, drought and wildfires this summer. “Congress provided $10 billion to cover ... Read More »

From bpa.gov At first glance, dams look like they only hold back and store water, but they actually do so much more. Dams can help protect communities from floods, provide water to irrigate farmland, enable safe passage for boats and barges, create places to play on the river and provide the Northwest with renewable, carbon-free electricity. While not all dams ... Read More »

Last month, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) sent a letter to Richard Flournoy, acting administrator of the Risk Management Agency (RMA), providing feedback on two proposed crop insurance regulation changes. Specifically, WAWG supported a change that would allow winter wheat and spring wheat to be insured as separate enterprise units. Currently, all types of wheat are grouped together. ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Dec. 3 includes disaster aid for wheat farmers, says the head of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Farm Service Agency Final market year average (MYA) prices for 2020 have been published for wheat, barley and oats. The MYA for wheat and barley fell below the statutory reference price resulting in a 2020 Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payment rate for those crops. The MYA for oats exceeded the statutory reference price, so no payment will be ... Read More »