NAWG Joins Farm Group on USDA WHIP+ Letter
On October 16, 2019, NAWG, along with other farm groups, sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue asking that the Agency make available the fullest appropriate disaster assistance under the recently-enacted Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) as well as under other applicable USDA programs. Additionally, the group urged the USDA to provide flexibility in the crop insurance program to assist growers who face severe quality problems and who might not be able to harvest their crop because of abnormal weather conditions. The letter in its entirety can be found here.
House Ag Committee to Hold Hearing on Conservation
On October 22, 2019 the House Ag Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry will hold a hearing titled “Realizing the Conservation Benefits of Precision Agriculture.” The hearing will be streamed online and take place at 2 p.m. in 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building.
BIFAD Foreign Aid Report
On October 16, 2019, the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD) that advises USAID on issues concerning agriculture, higher education in developing countries, and food insecurity, released a report Wednesday that said the United States receives broad-based economic, national security, and diplomatic benefits from its agricultural assistance in the developing world. In the report, it is explained how U.S. agricultural exports to developing countries total $90 billion annually and help generate an increase in total U.S. economic activity of $259 billion. The report goes further to discuss how global food demand is projected to increase by 50 percent over the next 30 years, mostly from burgeoning demand in low-income countries, and how bolstered investment in foreign agriculture is essential to help American farmers gain an edge in rapidly growing emerging markets.
NWF Opens Scholarship Opportunity for Ag Students – Deadline October 31, 2019
The National Wheat Foundation is officially accepting applications for the Jerry Minore Scholarship. The scholarship opportunity is made available to both high school and college students pursuing a career in agriculture for the 2019-2020 academic year, the deadline for the application is December 1, 2019. This year the Foundation will be issuing two scholarships for $2,500 each.
USDA NASS to Collect Additional Harvested Acreage Information
Due to the recent snowfall in North Dakota and Minnesota, soybean and corn crops have been severely affected. NASS will collect harvested acreage information for both crops in these states in preparation for the November Crop Production report. This additional data will help to better assess the full impact. The notice with complete details can be found here.
REMINDER: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) Fall Surveys
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) fall surveys are underway and they encourage wheat producers to participate in the surveys when they receive them either by mail or telephone. The feedback producers provide can create a foundation for crop yield, production practices, and help set up loan rates, disaster payments, and crop insurance price elections. There are 3 NASS surveys a producer can expect to receive. The Agricultural survey which measures acreage, production, and stocks, the Agricultural Resources Management Survey which rotates crops each year, this year the survey seeks information on production practices and chemical use for barley, cotton, sorghum and wheat, and lastly, the County Agricultural Production Surveys which is seeking data down to the county level for small grain crops.
Registration for the 2019 NAWG/USW Fall Conference – Closes October 31st!
The 2019 NAWG/USW Fall Conference will take place at the Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Hotel in Santa Fe, NM., from Monday, November 4 through Wednesday, November 6, 2019. To register for the meeting, visit USW’s page here. For more details, including NAWG’s meeting schedule, visit our conference page here.
USFRA Docudrama “30 Harvests”
On Thursday, August 15, US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) launched the short docudrama, “30 Harvests.” In just over one month, the film has received more than 785,000 views. Many of USFRA members and other leaders in the food industry have shared it on their social platforms and internal websites. NAWG encourages you to push the video out through your social media channels.
Source: National Association of Wheat Growers