Weekly Update for
June 29

Senators Bennet (D-CO) and Marshall (R-KS) have introduced new legislation to improve the flexibility of the United States Department of Agriculture's crop insurance programming for wheat farmers facing unprecedented drought. Currently, farmers do not have the option through the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) to separately ensure enterprise units by fallow or continuous production and must combine them — limiting farmers’ ability to benefit from federal crop insurance programs. This bill would direct the RMA to provide more options to wheat farmers and ensure that both fallow and continuously grown crops can be covered by separate enterprise units. “The National Association of Wheat Growers appreciates the work that Senators Bennet and Marshall put into helping give wheat farmers a better, more flexible safety net,” Jake Westlin, NAWG Vice President of Policy and Communications said about the newly proposed bill. “This bill allows farmers’ crop insurance coverages to be more reflective of their cropping systems. Many farmers use a fallow rotation to manage pests and take care of their ground. Allowing Enterprise Units to be separated based on fallow and continuous cropping systems is a continuation of the evolution of Enterprise Units. NAWG thanks the Senators' efforts and looks forward to getting this bill included in the Farm Bill.” NAWG will continue to advocate for this bill that gives wheat farmers in drought-stricken regions the flexibility to selectively insure their crops to increase the safety net and ensure that producers can continue producing wheat.

Last week, NAWG welcomed Jack Long as the new Government Relations Representative. Long is a recent graduate from Oklahoma State University, where he received a Master’s in Agribusiness. Long is originally from Cole Camp, MO, and comes from a multigenerational farming operation. His upbringing in the agriculture industry has given him a deep-rooted passion for the industry and for the individuals who are a necessary part of it. He has worked for Cornerstone Government Affairs and the Oklahoma State Senate, which provided him with a fundamental understanding of policy and current issues within the wheat industry. “We are excited to welcome Jack Long to our team as the new Government Relations Representative at NAWG,” said NAWG CEO, Chandler Goule. “We look forward to seeing his positive impact as he builds strong relationships and navigates the world of government relations on behalf of NAWG.”

Last week, Representatives Tracey Mann (R-KS-01), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Rick Crawford (R-AR-01), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) introduced the American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023. NAWG is now running an online campaign supporting the bill and is calling on members to go and fill out the form to send to your representatives on Capitol Hill so we can begin making progress in getting this critical piece of legislation included as part of the 2023 Farm Bill. The bipartisan legislation would play a vital role in keeping the food in America’s international food aid programs as Congress looks to reauthorize the Farm Bill. As part of this legislation, Congress would restore the original intent of the Food for Peace program without spending additional Farm Bill resources, all while safeguarding the interests of American farmers. Use the link below to support the American Farmers Feed the World Act.

Today, PepsiCo, Inc. published its 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Summary, sharing the first full year of reporting since the launch of PepsiCo Positive (pep+) in 2021. pep+ is an end-to-end transformation program touching virtually every aspect of PepsiCo's business – from how ingredients are grown; to how its iconic portfolio of products are made, moved and sold; to what choices are offered to consumers. pep+ is the framework through which all actions on setting and working toward ESG targets are driven. Commenting on PepsiCo's approach to engaging farmers and leveraging regenerative agriculture practices to address climate change, National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Chandler Goule said, "PepsiCo is at the forefront, demonstrating how food companies and producers can collaborate effectively to cultivate sustainable, affordable, and safe food. PepsiCo has made meaningful investments in agriculture, and they have led the way in engaging growers from the outset to ensure sustainability objectives are both attainable and mutually beneficial."

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they will partner with American businesses to increase domestic fertilizer production, creating new jobs in rural areas and provide more options for critical fertilizers to U.S. producers. This new movement will increase the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program by up to an additional $400 million to increase rural economic development and to ensure that the United States can continue to hold competitive levels of fertilizer production. A portion of these funds are used for a variety to procedures, including increasing fertilizer capacity, modernization of equipment, and the advancement of climate-smart practices.

USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, has announced that the USDA has plans to invest up to $500 million from the President’s Inflation Reduction Act into increasing the availability of domestic biofuels. This will include increased availability of cleaner biofuels at the pump. Secretary Vilsack stated, “By expanding the availability of homegrown biofuels, we are strengthening our energy independence, creating new market opportunities and revenue streams for American producers, and bringing good-paying jobs and other economic benefits to rural and farm communities.” These injected funds will allow Americans everywhere the opportunity to utilize domestic biofuels in addition to enhancing the national economy while also expanding clean energy production on the domestic stage.

Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA will be injecting $2.7 billion into supporting American farmers, students participating in the school lunch program, and emergency food operations. Nearly $1.3 billion of this will be used for states to purchase food to be distributed into the school lunch program. This is a part of the larger push for schools to purchase more nutritious foods produced in America and grown by hard-working American farmers and ranchers. These funds come at a critical time when we are faced with an extremely high demand for products coupled with multiple supply chain issues and are geared to support both students and producers in America. These funds will address the shortcomings that occur when the temporary Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 sunsets at the end of this fiscal year in order to meet rising costs of both food production and procurement. There is also nearly $1 billion to be used to purchase emergency commodity purchases from U.S. producers to bolster the emergency food network, to combat domestic food insecurity. Coupled together, these initiatives should play a noticeable positive impact on both producers and consumers in the coming fiscal year.

On Tuesday, June 27, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States and India have finalized a trade agreement. The agreement resolves a variety of outstanding trade issues, including the removal of retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. agricultural commodities such as chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, among other goods. While this announcement did not address India’s high support prices for wheat in violation of its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, it did include the termination of six WTO disputes and the removal of retaliatory tariffs that were refenced above. Stakeholders across the agricultural industry applaud Ambassador Tai for the completion of the trade agreement, and while wheat was not included in the conversation at this time, NAWG will continue to push for stronger trade agreements with countries we export our American-grown wheat into.

On Tuesday, June 27, the National Wheat Foundation held a Farm Tour at Spates Farm generously hosted by Eric Spates. The attendees had the unique opportunity to explore a working farm during wheat harvest, view various portions of the wheat harvesting process, and to participate in a Q&A session with experts in the wheat industry. Bernard Peterson, Chair of the Foundation said, “Wheat harvest is an exciting time, no matter if you have experienced it 50 times or have never been in a wheat field before, being here on Spates’ farm to see first-hand the fields and combine running is always a memorable experience”. The National Wheat Foundation extends gratitude to all of the participants, speakers, and experts who contributed their time and knowledge to the event at Spates’ farm. Special thanks are reserved for Eric Spates for his generous dedication and unwavering attention to making this tour a success.

Enter the National Wheat Yield Contest! The deadline to enter spring wheat is August 1. If you are one of the 24 National Winners, you will get a trip to the Commodity Classic in Houston, TX, next February. Also, Early Spring Wheat entries are eligible for a drawing for a free one-year Business Plan subscription to Bushel Farm (formerly FarmLogs)! This software gives farmers a ground-level and big-picture view of their farms’ operational and financial performance. Unlike multiple spreadsheets or messy notebooks, the Bushel Farm mobile and desktop app organize an array of farm records - field maps, rainfall and satellite imagery, equipment, activities and inputs, grain sales and inventories, land agreements, work orders, and more. Powerful automation within the tool transforms farm records into a real-time profit and loss statement and generates valuable insights that farmers can use to make decisions on their own or share with their grain buyers, agronomists, bankers, insurance providers, and other trusted farm partners. Get your entries in to be eligible for this fantastic prize! Enter by July 1 to be in the drawing. Even if you are experiencing challenging conditions for your spring wheat, please enter the contest. We keep hoping for some timely rains. Spring Wheat entries in by July 1 will have an opportunity to win a BushelFarm subscription!