Weekly Update for
December 21

NAWG has opened registration for our Annual Conference in Houston on February 27-29, 2024! Go to our Commodity Classic webpage to register for Commodity Classic AND the NAWG Annual Conference. If you are attending the Commodity Classic Tradeshow: 1) Register for NAWG Annual Conference, and 2) Register for both Classic and reserve your hotel using the Classic registration portal. If you are ONLY attending the NAWG Annual Conference Meetings: 1) Register for the NAWG Annual Conference, and 2) Use the “NAWG Hotel Only” form to be put in our hotel block by our meeting planner, Peg Gullikson. To be guaranteed a room in the NAWG hotel block, you must make your hotel reservation by January 3. Early bird registration for Commodity Classic must be completed by January 12 to ensure a discounted price. Please complete your NAWG Annual Conference Registration by January 30. NOTE: the location of the hotel and tradeshow is closer to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), if you would like to avoid a lengthy taxi/Uber drive from IAH. The NAWG Winter Conference registration is also live! Winter Conference will be held in Washington, D.C, on January 23-26, 2024. Both the NAWG registration and hotel reservations need to be completed by January 2. Key events will be the NAWG committee and board meetings, Hill visits, and Wheat 101, an educational event put on by the National Wheat Foundation. We look forward to hosting you in D.C.! Please reach out to Peg (peg@meetingandtravelpros.com) and Bethany Cumming (bcumming@wheatworld.org) with any questions.

On December 17, The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) temporarily shut down two essential rail crossings for wheat transportation at El Paso and Eagle Way, Texas. This sudden closing of the rail crossings has already halted hundreds of railcars and could exponentially grow if not reopened soon. NAWG, along with other agricultural organizations, signed a letter urging the U.S. CBP to reopen these rail crossings for trade. NAWG understands that the southern border crisis is a continually growing issue. However, these railway crossings must reopen to prevent any supply chain crisis. Lastly, NAWG and U.S. Wheat have released a joint statement on the closings found in the link below.

Tryg Koch and Vince Mattson visited Bayer Farm and Wildlife Management Center in Stuttgart, AR, for a two-day guided duck hunt with National Corn Growers Association members and agribusiness groups. This trip was an auction item from the annual Wheat PAC auction at Commodity Classic. Bayer will be offering another guided duck hunt as part of the 2024 Wheat PAC fundraiser. Thank you, Bayer, for sponsoring this auction item! And thank you, Tryg, for supporting WheatPAC! Keep your eyes open for another Bayer-sponsored hunting trip at the 2024 WheatPAC live auction event.

On December 18, NAWG and 24 agriculture organizations signed a letter in support of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 3413/S.1669). This letter, organized by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) expresses the importance of AM radio for rural, agricultural communities. The exceptional range of AM radio can travel through both manmade and natural barriers, to share safety, weather, and other alerts, both in the case of power outages and otherwise. NAWG alongside NAFB is committed to enhance the lives of rural Americans and provide increased resources to improve agricultural operations and rural communities.

On December 19, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an update on the next steps to be taken regarding the mandate of Chlorpyrifos. After the ruling on November 2, 2023, by Eighth Circuit to vacate the EPA’s final rule, made in 2021, the matter was remanded back to the EPA for further proceedings. The final rule on Chlorpyrifos was issued by the EPA on August 30, 2021, which revoked all tolerances for the insecticide, effectively banning its use by farmers. This final rule was ordered by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals following a petition from the Pesticide Action Network North America and the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2007. With the November decision, the Eighth Circuit will next issue a mandate, which will put all the previous chlorpyrifos tolerances into effect, as they were prior to 2021. The EPA plans to propose a new rule, that will revoke the tolerances with all crops, except for those 11 listed for use by the court. Both winter wheat and spring wheat are listed within the 11 tolerances, along with alfalfa, apple, asparagus, cherry (tart), citrus, cotton, peach, soybean, strawberry, and sugar beets. NAWG and other grower groups have voiced their shared concerns about blanket bans on chlorpyrifos, and have reiterated the negative impact on farming operations when federal agencies disregard their own science and processes.

On December 18, the USDA announced that agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year on. “Having the Farm Bill extension in place means business as usual for Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage program implementation for the 2024 crop year— nothing has changed from previous years,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “These programs provide critical financial protections against commodity market volatilities for many American farmers so don’t delay enrollment. Avoid the rush and contact your local FSA office for an appointment because even if you are not changing your program election for 2024, you still need to sign a contract to enroll.” Enrollments and any election changes must be made by March 15, 2024.

On December 20, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced multiple senior staff appointments. Georgette Furukawa was appointed Chief of Staff for the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Sarah Dietch was appointed Chief of Staff for Rural Development and served as Director of the Peace Corps Response at the United States Peace Corps prior to her new role. Jayme Holliday was appointed Senior Advisor for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, and brings her experience as Senior Policy advisor for Representative Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of the Northern Mariana Islands, managing work on the Democratic Caucus Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21st Century. Betsy Dirksen Londrigan was appointed Administrator for the Rural Business Cooperative-Service and comes from her role as the USDA’s Rural Development State Director for Illinois.

On December 15, House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) issued a statement after the conclusion of the COP28 meetings in Dubai. Thompson pointed out that the U.S. agriculture industry “stands as the nation’s lowest emitting economic sector” and praised the industry’s innovation in reducing emissions through voluntary, incentive-based conservation efforts. Thompson said, “The solution to global climate change is not producing less of certain foods or upending the food system as we know it, its using science, technology, and innovation to continue producing more with less in the U.S., increasing American agriculture production, exporting it overseas and displacing the production of higher emitting, less environmentally friendly countries. American agriculture stands as a beacon of innovation and sustainability. Therefore, it is vital to recognize, support, and enhance American agriculture as an integral part of the solution to climate challenges on a global scale.”

Share your unique perspective and learn what other farmers are thinking about for 2024! More about the survey and report: Each year Bushel reaches out to thousands of farmers to gather their unique thoughts and perspectives for an annual State of the Farm Report. The comprehensive report provides insights on several topics, including tillage practices, grain marketing, farm software, and the biggest opportunities and concerns for the coming year. With more than 1,300 farmers participating in last year’s survey, it has become one of the industry’s larger and more influential farm surveys. Privacy is important to us; survey responses are anonymized and aggregated.

It’s hard to imagine the Christmas season without a tray full of Christmas cookies, including gingerbread. Whether your tradition is building a gingerbread house with your family or putting out gingerbread cookies for Santa, one ingredient is at the center of it all: wheat flour. While you are enjoying your gingerbread treats during the holidays, make sure to thank a wheat farmer.