NAWG Weekly Updates, May 5, 2022

NAWG NEWS

NAWG Farm Bill Survey to Close this Sunday, May 8

There are only THREE days left to complete NAWG’s 2023 Farm Bill Survey. This survey has 33 questions and takes an average of 17 minutes to complete. NAWG wants to hear what is important to farmers and identify practical policy recommendations that would benefit the grower community. Thank you to everyone who has filled it out so far and for providing your feedback. You can find the Farm Bill survey here, we encourage you to share this survey with your farmer friends as we continue to plan a successful Farm Bill reauthorization.

NAWG Provides Testimony in Senate Ag Committee Michigan Field Hearing

NAWG Past President, Dave Milligan, submitted written testimony to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry regarding their field hearing “Growing Jobs and Economic Opportunity: Perspectives on the 2018 Farm Bill from Michigan” that took place in East Lansing, Michigan on Friday, April 29, 2022. Read Dave’s testimony here. Friday’s hearing is the first Senate Agriculture Committee review of the 2018 Farm Bill and focused on farm programs, conservation, rural development, research, and other Farm Bill titles. Read NAWG’s press release here.

NAWG Comments on the Administration’s Supplemental Request

Last week, President Biden sent a supplemental funding request to Congress for additional assistance to Ukraine and included $1.6 billion for food aid and humanitarian assistance as well as $500 million intended to incentivize increased food crop production within the United States. NAWG CEO, Chandler Goule, spoke with multiple news outlets since the Biden Administration released its plans relating to food aid. View the White House’s address to Congress here. NAWG CEO, Chandler Goule stated, “We would like to see wheat production encouraged throughout the nation and incentivize both spring and winter wheat growers.” You can view the multiple articles here,  here, and here, and you can watch an RFD-TV interview here.

NAWG Signs Letter Opposing Barriers to USMCA Trade Partners

NAWG along with other organizations signed onto a letter from the National Corn Growers Association, the Corn Refiners Association, and the National Milk Producers Federation opposing H.R. 3926 and S. 2080. If this bill is signed into law, it has the potential to impose barriers to trading partners and negatively impact trade with U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Not only will this raise consumer food prices, but the number of farmers adversely impacted along with concerns about adhering to U.S. trade commitments, NAWG along with others urge Congress to reject the bill and support fair reciprocal trade between the U.S. and its trading partners.

Funding Letter for Agricultural Export Programs

The Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee on Agriculture asking to maintain funds for essential export promotion and market development funds provided by the Agricultural Trade Promotion and Facilitation programs. $200 million is requested for the Market Access Program (MAP) and $34.4 million for the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program.

GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY NEWS

USDA Accepts 2 million Acres in Offers Through Conservation Reserve Program

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the USDA is accepting more than 2 million acres in offers from agriculture producers and landowners through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup. With around 3.4 million acres expiring, Vilsack is encouraging producers to sign up for the grassland and continuous programs, which are currently open. These programs are voluntary, and the USDA recognizes this is just one tool in helping to mitigate climate change and conserve natural resources. General signup is closed, but producers and landowners can still apply for Grassland and Continuous by contacting their local USDA Service Center. You can find that list here. To learn more about this program, click here. Find the USDA press release here. 

Senate EWP Committee Unanimously Advances WRDA

On May 4, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced its version of the Water Resource Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022). WRDA is a biennial omnibus legislation that authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works activities, which plays a role in directing federal policies and programmatic authorities. WRDA 2022 was passed out of committee unanimously and now awaits consideration by the full Senate. For more information, click here.

House Agriculture Committee FTX Hearing

Thursday, May 12, 2022, at 10:00 am, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on “Changing Market Roles: The FTX Proposal and Trends in New Clearinghouse Models.” As the Commodity Futures Trading Commission says, it will consider FTX’s proposal for direct clearing of crypto derivatives. For more information, click here. You can also find the CFTC’s request for public comment on the FTX proposal here.

U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) Update

About ten days after a powerful, winter-like storm struck the northern Plains, a similar system delivered another round of heavy precipitation and high winds. Meanwhile, in the Red River Valley, heavy rain falling on partially frozen soils resulted in extensive flooding, especially north of Fargo, North Dakota, with runoff further enhanced by melting snow. Farther south, high winds again raked the central and southern Plains and the Southwest, resulting in blowing dust and fast-spreading wildfires. Across the southern High Plains’ hardest-hit drought areas, hot, windy weather sapped any remaining soil moisture and further stressed rangeland, pastures, and winter grains. Meanwhile, a few severe thunderstorms dotted the Plains and upper Midwest, leading to localized wind and hail damage. In contrast, little or no precipitation fell during the week across the nation’s southwestern quadrant, leading to further drought intensification. To read the full drought summary, click here.

NATIONAL WHEAT FOUNDATION NEWS

Grains Food Foundation on Role of Grain in Diet

The removal of specific refined grains leads to an increase in Americans not meeting nutrition recommendations. This includes a shortfall in dietary fiber, folate, iron, and magnesium. View the full peer-reviewed study here. 

National Wheat Yield Contest Opens for 2022 Contest Entries

The National Wheat Foundation (NWF) is pleased to announce that it is accepting grower enrollment for the 2022 National Wheat Yield Contest! The contest is divided into two primary competition categories: winter wheat and spring wheat, and two subcategories: dryland and irrigated. Winter Wheat entries are due May 16, and Spring Wheat entries are due August 1. Read more about the contest here, or to enter, go online to yieldcontest.wheatfoundation.org.

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Durum supply not worrying

-The Western Producer   

French wheat exports quicken but may miss targets”  

-Argus  

US ag economy outlook improves slightly in April

 -World-Grain