NAWG CEO Participates in Agweek Panel Discussion
This week, NAWG CEO Chandler Goule was featured in a panel discussion with Syngenta’s Mary Kay Thatcher and moderator Michelle Rook of WNAX. The discussion, which was a part of Agweek’s virtual Farm Show, centered around the potential changes for agricultural policy with the new Administration and new Congress. Check out their discussion here.
NAWG Joins Coalition Letter Responding to Rep. Simpson Dam Breaching Proposal
On Tuesday, NAWG joined a diverse stakeholder coalition in sending a letter to the governors and Congressional delegations of the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, which outlined an array of concerns with Rep. Simpsons’ proposal to breach the four Lower Snake River dams. The Columbia Snake River System plays an integral role in transporting U.S. wheat and facilitating wheat exports. According to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, nearly 10 percent of all wheat exports are moved by barge on the Snake River annually, and wheat constitutes 60 percent of the cargo transported on the waterway.
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY NEWS
USDA Announces Additional COVID-19 Relief
On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced implementation of COVID relief provisions recently authorized by Congress and through utilizing existing resources. The new Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative entails significant assistance to address past and ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and includes an additional $20 per acre payment for row crop producers. More information can be found here.
House Ag Spending Panel Holds Hearing on The Rural Economy
On March 24, 2021, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on the rural economy with testimony from Glen Smith, board chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), and Jeffery Hall, FCA board member. Smith discussed the agency’s responsibilities, the current state of the farm and rural economy, and the condition of the Farm Credit System (FCS) and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) as well as effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rural and farm economy.
USDA to Hold Special Two-Day Virtual Data Users’ Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently announced its biannual Data Users’ Meeting to be held virtually April 14 and 15 from noon to 3 p.m. ET. The Data Users’ meeting is held to share recent and pending statistical program changes with the public, and to solicit input on these and other programs important to agriculture. Register online for this event here.
NATIONAL WHEAT FOUNDATION NEWS
REMINDER: The National Wheat Foundation 2021 National Wheat Yield Contest is OPEN
The National Wheat Foundation (NWF) is officially accepting grower enrollment for the 2021 National Wheat Yield Contest! The Contest is divided into two primary competition categories: winter wheat and spring wheat, and two subcategories: dryland and irrigated. The Foundation is accepting entries for Winter and Spring Wheat. The deadline for Winter Wheat entries is May 15th with an early registration deadline of April 1st. The Spring wheat entry deadline is August 1st, with an early registration deadline of June 15th. The wheat contest is administered entirely online, and growers can register at www.yieldcontest.