Federal

WAWG Testifies on the Importance of the Lower Snake River Dams

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 »

NAWG Applauds Introduction of American Farmers Feed the World Act

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 »

U.S. Wheat revives marketing conference in Asia

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 »

Summer is near but farm bill may be months away

From agriculture.com The Senate and House Agriculture committees are weeks or even months away from drafting the 2023 farm bill, a remarkably late start for what is always a detailed and time-consuming process. The new farm bill would be the most expensive ever and is likely to be completed after the Sept. 30 expiration of the current farm law, if ... Read More »

Wheat growers support EPA decision

Today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Sackett v. EPA that narrows the extent of federal jurisdiction over bodies of water under the Clean Water Act. “NAWG (the National Association of Wheat Growers) is pleased with the rule the Supreme Court issued today that rejected the confusing and expansive ‘significant nexus’ test that broadened the jurisdiction of the Clean ... Read More »

Farm input costs expected to rise 4% in 2023

Reprinted with permission from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Minority Blog Alongside historic inflation across the broader U.S. economy, the highest in over 40 years, farmers and ranchers across the country experienced their own version of inflation: soaring land values, cash rents, fertilizer, fuel, chemical, animal feed, machinery, and interest expenses, among many others. The U.S. ... Read More »

NAWG Responds to USDA’s Announcement of Disaster Aid Implementation

Today, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to implement the $3.7 billion Congress appropriated for disaster aid in calendar year 2022. The Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) will help assist crop and livestock producers who suffered losses due to qualifying natural disasters in 2022. To facilitate the process, the ... Read More »

Myth-busting FSA’s new revenue-based disaster, pandemic assistance programs

By Zach Ducheneaux Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency In January, we announced two new programs designed to assist producers who experienced revenue losses from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs are revenue-based and feel a little different from our regular programs, but the goal is to better support farmers. Both the Emergency Relief ... Read More »

US Plains farmers brace for historically poor winter wheat harvest

From agriculture.com Production prospects for the U.S. winter wheat crop are the worst in recent memory in core areas of the Great Plains following a three-year drought, farmers and crop experts said. “I don’t know how to put it into words how bad it is,” said farmer Gary Millershaski in southwest Kansas, among the areas hit hardest by drought. He ... Read More »

NAWG testifies at farm safety net hearing 

National Association of Wheat Growers President and Klamath Falls, OR wheat farmer Brent Cheyne, testified in front of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade during the “Commodity Programs, Credit, and Crop Insurance – Part 1: Producer Perspectives on The Farm Safety Net” hearing. “With the rising input costs, decreasing net farm income, and the smallest winter ... Read More »