Weekly Update for
May 3

On May 1, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) each released their own five-year Farm Bill proposals. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Keeff Felty provided the following statement in response: “It is great to see progress being made on a long-term Farm Bill. We are glad to see legislative summaries being put forward by both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees to get a Farm Bill done in the 118th Congress. NAWG will continue reviewing these Farm Bill proposals and remain in contact with committee leaders and staff. NAWG continues to advocate for a bill that works for our wheat growers and rural communities. Since identifying our Farm Bill priorities in June 2022, NAWG has advocated for a strong crop safety net, which protects crop insurance and works to enhance the Title I programs and crop insurance. As the process continues, we urge the four corners to work together to pass a bill that can pass both chambers and get signed into law before the end of the year.”

Chairwoman Stabenow released the following statement regarding her Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act: “This is a serious proposal that reflects bipartisan priorities to keep farmers farming, families fed, and rural communities strong. The foundation of every successful Farm Bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan coalition of farmers, rural communities, nutrition and hunger advocates, researchers, conservationists, and the climate community. This is that bill, and I welcome my Republican colleagues to take it seriously and rejoin us at the negotiating table so we can finish our work by the end of the year. Farmers, families, and rural communities cannot wait any longer on the 2024 Farm Bill.” Chairman GT Thompson released the following statement regarding his Farm Bill proposal: "This bill is a product of an extensive and transparent process, which included soliciting feedback from Members of both political parties, stakeholder input from across the nation, and some tough conversations. Each title of this farm bill reflects a commitment to the American farmer and viable pathways to funding those commitments, and is equally responsive to the politics of the 118th Congress. The Committee on Agriculture will markup this bill on May 23, and I hope for unanimous support in this endeavor to bring stability to producers, protect our nation’s food security, and revitalize rural America."

Our Montana growers Nathan Keane, Boyd Heilig, and Steve Sheffels documented their trip to NAWG’s 2024 Winter Conference in Washington, D.C. During their week in the nation’s capital, the group learned more about current policy issues affecting wheat growers and met with members of Congress and staff. Learn more about Nathan’s visit.

On April 26, the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports send letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to request at least $200 million or the fully authorized level in continued mandatory funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Market Access Program (MAP) and at least $34.5 million or the fully authorized level in continued mandatory funding for the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) when they write the fiscal year 2025 Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

On May 1, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, John Boozman (R-AR), released the following statement in response to Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act: “Chairwoman Stabenow and I have had several conversations about getting our ideas down on paper, so the release of the majority’s framework is a welcome development. My colleagues and I will be soliciting input from stakeholders as we consider these ideas alongside the approach we have constructed in our framework, which will be released after the House considers its bill in the coming weeks. With Chairwoman Stabenow releasing a framework that reflects Senate Democrats’ priorities, and Chairman Thompson’s work to advance legislation out of committee this month, I’m optimistic that real progress on the farm bill can still occur this Congress. Our actions must reflect the realities in farm country. Farmers are facing challenging times that, by every metric, are likely to continue in the coming years. Considering the farm bill only comes around every five years, we must ensure we do right by our farmers and make meaningful investments in the risk management tools they rely on to weather the storm.”

On May 1, Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA-13) released the following statement in response to Chairman GT Thompson’s (R-PA-15) Farm Bill proposal: "Agriculture Committee Democrats presented a farm bill counterproposal to our Republican colleagues as part of an ongoing, years-long bipartisan process that could invest tens of billions of dollars in the farm bill safety net without cuts to SNAP benefits. Unfortunately, Republicans rejected this bipartisan approach in favor of a partisan bill with an untenable funding scheme. By insisting on poison pill policies, Republicans have turned what could have been a genuinely bipartisan bill into a messaging exercise to appease their right flank that has no chance of becoming law."

On April 29, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres announced that the USDA is funding dozens of new infrastructure upgrades and clean energy projects in rural communities participating in the Rural Partners Network (RPN). This announcement marks two years since the administration launched the RPN to ensure people in underserved communities receive a share of federal funding by providing $1 billion to support 4700 projects within the RPN. The announcement comes with additional programs announced for communities in Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico that aims to improve grid infrastructure and fund clean energy alternatives.

This week the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the long-awaited guidance on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) tax credits and the potential for corn and soybean feedstocks to be eligible. In the guidance, the IRS identifies several climate smart conservation practices that corn and soybean producers would need to meet in order for the feedstocks to be eligible for SAF production tax credits. Corn producers must also use cover crops, no till, and enhanced efficiency fertilizers on the ground that produces corn for SAF, and soybean producers must use cover crops and no till. In addition to using climate smart practices, extensive recordkeeping and verification of practices are required by the IRS. These requirements apply to the 40B tax credit that is available through December 2024 and has implications for the broader 45Z tax credit that begins in 2025. NAWG is continuing to monitor the developments with SAF and the potential impact on wheat production. See additional details in coverage from Agri-Pulse:

On May 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the names of individuals who received promotions and key staff appointments. Jeremy Adamson was promoted to Chief of Staff for Research, Education, and Economics after serving as a Senior Policy Advisor for Trade and Foreign Ag Affairs in the FAS. Deidre Deculus Robert was promoted to Director of State Operations for Rural Development after serving as State Director of Rural Development in Louisiana. Ellis Collier was promoted to Senior Policy Advisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service after being a legislative Advisor in the Office of Congressional Relations. Finally, Malikha Daniels has been named Senior Policy Advisor for the Foreign Agricultural Service after serving as a Senior Legislative Advisor for the office of Congressional Relations.

Anne Osborne and Mark Haugland spent time discussing the National Wheat Yield Contest and the National Wheat Foundation on the podcast. Listen below. 

Our great partners in the National Wheat Yield Contest offer vouchers for contestants. Each entry costs $100, but many contestants use a voucher. If you would like to support the Foundation by paying the $100 with PayPal, that is much appreciated.  Either way, we welcome your participation. Winter Wheat entries are due by May 15th. Thank you for your support!