Federal

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 »

From agriculture.com The Biden administration could “impose a significant financial burden” on farm families with its proposal for stricter application of capital gains taxes, said House Agriculture chairman David Scott on Wednesday. Scott also said any increase in estate taxes “for those taking over farmland is untenable.” Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From Successful Farming Congress should provide $200 billion in new funding over a decade to reach the goal of “negative emission farming,” said 450 conservation, consumer, farm, and environmental groups in a letter on Tuesday. The increase would be the equivalent of all the funding in the 2018 Farm Bill for crop subsidies, land stewardship, crop insurance, research and rural ... Read More »

Carbon, in the context of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, is being talked about at all levels of government. In Washington state, the legislature has been focused this session on carbon regulation bills—a low carbon fuel standard and a cap-and-trade program. At the federal level, carbon markets are becoming increasingly front and center. In May’s issue, Wheat Life sat down ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just published the 90-Day Progress Report on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry. The report represents an important step toward in President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and shift towards a whole-of-department approach to climate solutions. The Order, signed January 27, states that, “America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners ... Read More »

This week, National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) CEO, Chandler Goule, promoted Jake Westlin to senior director of policy and communications. Jake joined NAWG in October 2019 and has been a key part of NAWG’s policy team and has managed a host of projects during his tenure. Through Jake’s six years working with Capitol Hill and his work on two ... Read More »

From U.S. Wheat Associates On March 21, 2021, Canadian Pacific (CP) Railways announced a $25 billion plan to merge with Kansas City Southern (KCS), calling it a “transformative” remake of the freight-rail industry. The proposed new railroad would be the first U.S.-Mexico-Canada-linked rail line. Not to be out-done, Canadian National Railway (CN) began talks with KCS in late April, saying ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Biden administration has released a report outlining its vision to conserve and restore land, water and wildlife with recommendations for locally led, voluntary efforts to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The 24-page report outlining the administration’s “America the Beautiful” initiative recognizes the contributions of farmers, ranchers, forest owners, private landowners and ... Read More »

The National Association of Wheat Growers joined the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and more than 300 agricultural organizations to call on Congress to invest $11.5 billion in the federal agricultural research infrastructure at colleges of agriculture. In the letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate agriculture committees, the groups wrote, “Modern agricultural research ... Read More »