NAWG NEWS
NAWG CEO Discusses Proposed Tax Changes
Last week, NAWG CEO Chandler Goule discussed the American Families Plan updates to stepped-up basis and higher capital gains taxes. “We’ve had programs that exempted family-owned businesses before, but they’ve been complex and difficult to administer,” said Goule. NAWG has continued to engage with the White House and Capitol Hill about our tax policy positions and learn more about how they are working to protect family farms as part of the American Families Plan. Read more here.
NAWG Joins Coalition Letter in Support of Ag Research Infrastructure
On Monday, May 3, NAWG joined a diverse collation of stakeholders in sending a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership calling for additional investments in agricultural research infrastructure needs. The United States must maintain the strong core research infrastructure for scientific discovery, technology transfer, and training of plant researchers that makes us competitive worldwide. Read the letter here.
NAWG Joins Coalition Letter Urging Resolution to Ongoing Transatlantic Trade Issues
On Thursday, April 29, NAWG and U.S. Wheat Associates joined 86 other U.S. and EU trade associations in sending a joint letter to President Joseph R. Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the permanent removal of tariffs on sectors unrelated to the ongoing WTO Boeing/Airbus disputes. On March 6, 2021, the U.S. and the EU agreed to temporarily suspend tariffs in connection to the Boeing/Airbus dispute. However, this suspension ends on July 11, 2021, and a long-term fix is needed to avoid tariffs once again being levied on U.S. wheat exports to the EU.
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY NEWS
Senate Agriculture Committee Announces Vote for USDA Dep. Sec. Nominee
Earlier today, the Senate Agriculture Committee announced it would hold a business meeting on Monday, May 10, to vote on consideration of Dr. Jewel Bronaugh’s nomination to serve as Deputy Secretary at USDA. Dr. Bronaugh recently participated in a hearing before the full committee, where she took questions from Senators and spoke to her qualifications and experience. On February 11, 2021, NAWG joined a coalition of 59 food and agriculture associations in sending a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee leadership urging support and timely confirmation of Dr. Bronaugh’s nomination.
House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Rural Development Hearing
On Thursday, May 6, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Mission Area. Witnesses included Justin Maxson, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development, and administrators of the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Housing Service. Watch the full hearing here
Biden Announces New Vaccination Goal; Resources for Rural America
President Biden announced on Tuesday a goal for 70% of the U.S. adult population to have one vaccine shot and 160 million U.S. adults to be fully vaccinated by July 4. His goal included specific steps to provide easier access to those living in rural communities and bolster efforts to reach rural Americans in the response. These steps include shipping new allocations of vaccines to rural health clinics, increasing vaccine education and outreach efforts in rural communities, and increasing funding for rural health clinics and hospitals to respond to COVID-19 with testing and mitigation measures. Read the full press release here. To find a COVID-19 vaccine near you, visit vaccines.gov or text your ZIP code to 438829.
USDA Holds Listening Session on Impacts of COVID-19 on New Farmers
USDA held a virtual listening session on Thursday, May 6, for beginning farmers and ranchers to learn how COVID-19 impacted their farming operations and to get their feedback on USDA assistance. This feedback will inform USDA preparations for outreach strategies, programmatic needs, technical assistance and accessible program delivery for beginning farmers and ranchers through Pandemic Assistance for Producers. Read the press release here.
USDA Provides 100 Day Update
On April 29, USDA provided a summary of USDA’s work over the past 100 days of the Biden-Harris Administration and a look at what is ahead. Major topics included containing the COVID-19 pandemic, working to drive down food insecurity, creating equitable opportunities, providing a stronger safety net for all producers, helping rural America thrive, enhancing conservation and science to address climate change, building fairer markets for food and agriculture, and rebuilding the USDA workforce and Department’s culture of excellence. Read the press release here.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Hosts Agricultural Symposium
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a leader within the Federal Reserve System on topics related to the U.S. and global agricultural economies. As part of that focus, they host a symposium that brings together industry leaders, government officials, policymakers and economists to discuss current and emerging trends in the agricultural sector. The 2021 Agricultural Symposium, “The Roots of Agricultural Productivity Growth” will explore the key drivers of the persistent growth in agricultural productivity, linkages to other industries, and environmental considerations. The 2021 Agricultural Symposium will take place virtually on May 24-25. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Find more information and register here.
NATIONAL WHEAT FOUNDATION NEWS
REMINDER: Only 9 Days Left to Enter the Winter Wheat Category in the National Wheat Yield Contest!
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. 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.