Weekly Update for
April 20

This week, the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates joined the National Association of Farm Broadcasting at its annual Washington Watch Forum, which was held in Washington, D.C. Staff and leadership from both NAWG and USW met with ag reporters to talk about the wheat industry. NAWG focused on ongoing policy debates and its work on advancing the interest of wheat growers in the 2023 Farm Bill. USW highlighted the recent action by USTR where it submitted a counter-notification on India’s wheat subsidies at the WTO, as well as other trade and market dynamics.

Yesterday, the NAWG team joined the Idaho Wheat Commission’s “From the Field: To the Hill” podcast. During the podcast, Jake Westlin and Mariah Wollweber covered NAWG’s mission, ongoing grassroots campaigns, 2023 Farm Bill outlook, and wheat’s ongoing life cycle assessment. Also, NAWG’s newly elected Secretary, Jamie Kress, discussed the importance of NAWG and her story about getting involved in the Idaho Grain Producers Association and NAWG.

On April 17, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which allows agricultural producers and private landowners to enroll their land for conservation and receive annual rental payments while continuing their grazing and haying practices. “Grassland CRP clearly demonstrates that agricultural productivity and conservation priorities can not only coexist but also complement and enhance one another,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “The strength of this program lies in its many benefits — through annual rental payments, the program helps producers and landowners produce and maintain diverse wildlife habitat, sequester carbon in the soil, and support sound, sustainable grazing. These benefits help keep agricultural lands in production while delivering lasting climate outcomes.” Interested landowners and producers can sign up for the program now until May 26.

Next Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit will hold a hearing on “Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill”. The hearing will take place in two sessions, one panel at 10:00 AM eastern time and a second panel at 2:00 PM eastern time. The two-part hearing will serve as a key opportunity for members of the subcommittee to hear from grower leaders as they look to craft a Farm Bill this year.

The House Agriculture Committee held a full committee hearing with Administrator Michael Regan from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "American farmers and ranchers need access to crop protection tools to control damaging pests and weeds, increase yields with fewer inputs, and implement voluntary, incentive-based conservation practices such as reduced- and no-till,” said Chairman GT Thompson. “Until recently, producers relied on the science-driven, risk-based registration and registration review process established under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to provide certainty surrounding the use of these tools.” Committee Members questioned the Administrator on a wide range of issues including the Waters of the U.S. regulation, renewable fuels, PFAS (forever chemicals), and pesticide approvals.

On Tuesday, Appropriations' Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs held a budget hearing on “Fiscal Year 2024 Request for the United States Agency for International Development”. Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), testified before the subcommittee. Power discussed the agency's priorities and objectives, including addressing global health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, responding to humanitarian emergencies, promoting democracy and human rights, and advancing climate action. She also emphasized the importance of supporting gender equality, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring transparency and accountability in USAID's programs and operations.

Earlier this week, the House Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on H.J. Res. 29, a Resolution Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Listing under the Endangered Species Act. H.J. Res. 46, a Resolution Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Recission of the Trump Critical Habitat Rule; H.J. Res. 49, a Resolution Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Northern Long-Eared Bat Listing under the Endangered Species Act; and H.R. 1213, the rescue Whales Act of 2023. The hearing covered three ESA-related joint resolutions under the Congressional Review Act (CRAs). The witnesses who testified provided expert insights and opinions on the current state of the country's infrastructure and the economic, social, and environmental impacts of underinvestment in infrastructure.

Tuesday, April 18, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing entitled “Oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).” The Honorable Gary Gensler, Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission was a witness at this hearing. The SEC’s mission is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. This hearing examined the regulatory developments, rulemakings, and activities that the SEC has undertaken in the period since the last hearing on October 5, 2021. Some examples are Amendments Regarding the Definition of Exchange, SEC proposed a rule to modify the definition of “exchange” to include “communication protocol systems.” Followed by, Climate Related Disclosures, SEC proposed a 500-page climate disclosure rule that would require publicly traded firms to disclose detailed emissions data and climate risk management strategies.