WAWG
Washington Association of Wheat Growers President Andy Juris (fourth from left) is on the National Association of Wheat Growers’ Domestic Trade and Policy Committee. The group was listening to Marcia Bunger (third from right), Risk Management Agency administrator, and Zach Ducheneaux (second from right), Farm Service Agency administrator.
Leaders and staff of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) spent a week in Orlando last month, attending the National Association of Wheat Growers’ (NAWG) annual meeting where they discussed national wheat priorities, participated in committee meetings and helped set policy for the national organization for the coming year.
The annual wheat meeting takes place concurrently with Commodity Classic, the annual agricultural convention and trade show in the U.S. that focuses primarily on the corn, wheat, soybean and equipment manufacturer industries.
Howard McDonald (second from right), Washington Association of Wheat Growers past president, sits on the National Association of Wheat Growers’ Environment and Research Committee.
“The NAWG annual meeting in Orlando was a success. We discussed and voted on resolutions for the upcoming year, many of them focused on the farm bill,” said Michelle Hennings, WAWG’s executive director. “We also met with the Senate and House ag committee chairs to discuss what farmers need in a farm bill, what the outlook is for its potential passage, and the challenges we may face in trying to get the legislation passed. These face-to-face meetings are crucial and beneficial to the process. We want to make sure wheat is at the forefront of these conversations, and attending meetings with representatives of the corn and soybean industries gives value working together as ‘agriculture.’”
Leaders from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) spoke to the group throughout the week, including USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie, the Risk Management Agency’s Marcia Bunger, the Farm Service Agency’s Zach Ducheneaux, and Natural Resources Conservation Services chief, Terry Cosby.
Marci Green (second from left), a Washington Association of Wheat Growers past president, sits on the National Association of Wheat Growers’ Budget Committee.