Federal

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) elected Keeff Felty as president during their 2024 Annual Conference in Houston, Texas. Felty is a fourth-generation farmer in the Altus area of Oklahoma. He farms cotton, sesame, and pastureland along with his wheat crops. He brings experience from his time with the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association and the Oklahoma State Support Committee ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Grain and oilseed production remains unprofitable for Ukrainian farmers for the second year in a row. Low prices, limited exports and complicated logistics mean “significant” financial losses, said Antonina Broyaka, a Kansas State University Extension associate who fled Ukraine when the war broke out. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From Progressive Farmer Lower commodity prices and falling farm incomes took center stage at USDA’s recent Agricultural Outlook Forum with the agency forecasting season-average corn and soybean prices of $4.40 and $11.20 per bushel, respectively. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press U.S. District Judge Michael Simon has approved a memorandum of understanding negotiated by the Biden administration and litigants in a lawsuit over Snake River dam operations. The agreement stays the lawsuit until Dec. 13, 2028, with the possibility of another five-year extension. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

Reforms supported by the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) were part of the final rules issued by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that strengthen its power to act during rail service emergencies. Proposed by the STB in 2022, the regulations for “expedited relief in service emergencies” address deficiencies in previous emergency service order rules.  Read the rest of the ... Read More »

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) has announced a hearing titled “Exposing President Biden’s Plan to Dismantle the Snake River Dams and the Negative Impacts to the U.S,” scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live-streamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/. “The Columbia River System and the ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The next farm bill is high on lawmakers’ list of  priorities, but Congress must clear the path in order to make progress, according to the National Association of Wheat Growers. “With there being a couple fiscal cliffs in front of us, there’s a need to pass another stopgap spending measure – that does take precedent, just ... Read More »

From farmdocdaily.illinois.edu Because the 2018 Farm Bill was extended, farmers will have the same commodity title choices in 2024 as they have since 2019.  These include the Price Loss Coverage (PLC), Agricultural Risk Coverage at the county level (ARC-CO), and ARC at the individual level (ARC-IC) programs. For the first time, the effective reference prices in 2024 for corn ($4.01) ... Read More »

Four members of Washington’s congressional delegation have sent a letter to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) questioning how the U.S. government plans to finance the commitments outlined in the lower Snake River dams settlement agreement, which was released last month. The letter was sent by Reps. Kim Schrier, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Dan Newhouse. “Some language ... Read More »

Agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year. Producers can enroll and make election changes for the 2024 crop year through March 15, 2024.  On Nov. 16, 2023, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6363, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions ... Read More »