NAWG NEWS
RFD-TV Interviews with NAWG Leaders
Next week, NAWG officers and CEO Chandler Goule will interview with RFD-TV in Nashville, Tennessee. Topics such as international trade policies, sustainability, conservation practices, the farm bill, and NAWG’s role in advocating for growers in Washington D.C. will be discussed during the interviews. NAWG will air on the segments Monday, June 28th at 9:30am and 10:00am and the segments on Tuesday, June 29th at 9:00am and 9:30am. Click here to find out what channel you can watch the interviews or if you have an account with RFD-TV, you can watch live here.
NAWG Vice President Shares Experience with High Heat and Drought
This week, NAWG Vice President Nicole Berg interviewed with Northwest Public Broadcasting to share her concerns with the expected record-breaking heat next week and the extreme drought she is experiencing on her farm in Washington. With wheat crops already suffering from drought, the forecasted 113-degree heat will be a danger to run machinery and will likely raise protein content to undesirable levels. Read the full article here.
NAWG CEO’s Trip to PNW Promotes Role of Dams for Wheat with Montana Ag Network
Last week, NAWG CEO Chandler Goule visited the Columbia-Snake River system to discuss the essential role dams in the river system play in exporting wheat. This week, Goule shared the importance of the dams during an interview with Montana Ag Network. In the interview, Goule expressed how the dams provide a safe and reliable mode of transportation that is essential to the long-term viability of the wheat industry. To read more about the interview with Montana Ag Network, click here.
INDUSTRY NEWS
House Markup Scheduled for Fiscal Year 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies
Tomorrow, the House Committee on Appropriations will meet to markup fiscal year 2022 appropriations for agriculture, rural development, FDA, and related agencies. Critical funding for agriculture programs, including ARS, will be debated within the markup. To watch the markup, visit the House Committee on Appropriations website here.
Senate Passes Growing Climate Solutions Act
Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act that was introduced by Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). The bill helps producers generate and sell carbon credits by setting up a third-party certification process through the USDA. In addition, resources will be made available for farmers looking to connect with experts and get more information to ensure the program is effective for their needs. More information on the passing of the bill can be found here.
Secretary Vilsack Announces Intent to Nominate for Several Key Appointments
This week, Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack announced his intent to nominate Representative Xochitl Torres Small to serve as Under Secretary for Rural Development, as well as Dr. Homer Wilkes to serve as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. Representative Xochitl Torres Small hails from New Mexico where she grew up as the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers. Dr. Homer Wilkes has worked with USDA for more than 41 years to work towards large-scale partnerships with communities. To read more about Representative Small’s nomination, click here. For more information about Dr. Wilkes’ nomination, click here.
House Agriculture Committee Holds Hearing on the Efficacy of Farm Safety Net
Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee met to discuss the efficacy of the farm safety net that provides vital financial assistance to producers. Witnesses shared their personal experiences of timing issues with payments and encouraged policymakers to create a more flexible, efficient funding structure to ensure growers receive the support they need. Throughout the hearing, there was an emphasis on creating a permanent assistance program that is inclusive of all commodities while still being individualized to the diverse needs of growers. To read more about the hearing, click here.
FSA Now Accepting Nominations for County Committee Members
USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced that nominations for county committee members are now open until August 2, 2021. These committee members make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Across the country, more than 7,700 members serve on these committees that play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of FSA. To find out more information about applying and serving on FSA’s county committees, click here.
Learning Center Proposals for Commodity Class 2022 Due July 8, 2021
Each year, Commodity Classic strives to provide attendees with a broad variety of up-to-date education opportunities through educational sponsorships. There are three primary categories within these sponsorships: Learning Center Sessions, What’s New Sessions, and Mini What’s New Sessions. All 2022 exhibiting companies are invited to submit proposals to sponsor one or more educational sessions. The deadline to submit these proposals is July 8th, 2021. To get more information about how to apply, click here.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) Update
This week, Claudette, the third named tropical cyclone of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season, made landfall in the central Gulf Coast and moved across the southeast United States. Results from Claudette’s rainfall included widespread improvement to drought conditions in North Carolina as well as improved conditions in the southeast. Severe thunderstorms, including an EF3 tornado that affected parts of northern Illinois, northern Indiana, northern Ohio, and southern Michigan on Sunday. While they caused widespread damage from wind and hail, the storms also delivered beneficial rainfall to areas suffering from moderate, severe, and extreme drought. Meanwhile, relatively dry weeks in both the Northeast and the West caused drought conditions to worsen, for the most part, in both regions. The full drought monitor update can be found here.
NATIONAL WHEAT FOUNDATION NEWS
Gifts of Grain
Gifts of Grain is a new fundraiser recently launched by the Foundation in hopes to raise money to continue wheat education and research. Farmers can donate “gifts of grain” from unsold crop inventory. Any commodity traded such as wheat, corn, or cattle is eligible for donation. The donor may deliver the grain to the elevator of their choice and ask to transfer ownership of the donated bushels to the National Wheat Foundation. Click here for additional details or contact NWF project manager, Anne Osborne at AOsborne@wheatworld.org to learn more about how you can participate in Gifts of Grain.
Registration for National Wheat Yield Contest Spring Wheat
National Yield Contest spring wheat is open. Spring Wheat entries are accepted until August 1. The wheat contest is administered entirely online, and growers can register at yieldcontest.wheatfoundation.