Weekly Update for
June 1

Speaking with the Capital Press, NAWG President, Brent Cheyne, discussed the challenges and struggles on water issues in the Klamath Basin and his recent work advocating for wheat growers in Washington, D.C. “Unless somebody gets their act together and starts making a few of the right moves, it’s over,” Cheyne said as he discussed how as more water is set aside for endangered fish in the Klamath River and Upper Klamath Lake, less is available for farms and wildlife refuges that bring in up to 1 million migratory birds each year along the Pacific Flyway. He also discussed his experience testifying before Congress, where he noted, “…crop insurance is of paramount importance. We cannot let it go away.” President Cheyne also discussed the importance of communicating and advocating for agriculture in the interview. “Make your voice heard,” he said. “We need to be working to educate everybody on just what agriculture is, who we are, what we do, why we are needed and necessary, and why we are part of the solution and not the problem.”

Last week, the EPA announced a final rule on Pesticides; Exemptions of Certain Plant Incorporated Protectants (PIPs) Derived from Newer Technologies. At the federal level, the EPA, USDA, and FDA regulate biotechnology products under the “Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology.” According to the EPA, “This rule ensures that public health and the environment are protected while reducing costs for the regulated community… [and may] result in increased research and development activities, commercialization of new pest control options for farmers…, and reduced use of conventional pesticides.” However, NAWG and the broader agricultural stakeholder community have urged regulators to modernize the regulatory system to better facilitate new breeding technologies. NAWG has concerns that this final rule failed to consider stakeholder feedback and will hamstring the development of new plant varieties by public and private breeders.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act on a bipartisan 314-117 vote, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025, and possibly saving up to $2.1 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Over the weekend, President Biden and Speaker McCarthy reached an agreement, which established topline spending levels for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, including additional SNAP work requirements for people up to the age of 54, and rescinding roughly $28 billion in funds from the American Rescue Plan. The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to pass by this weekend after Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell endorsed it.

On June 8, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) will hold a virtual listening session ahead of a series of in-person meetings as it gathers feedback on possible changes to prevented planting crop insurance coverage. Last week, RMA published a Request for Information on a series of prevented planting topics, including: the Harvest Price Option, the “1 in 4” Rule, the 10 percent additional coverage option, contract prices, and other general recommendations. While formal comments are not due until the fall, the listening sessions allow growers to provide feedback to RMA.

On Friday, USDA extended the deadline for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase Two and Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP) to July 14, 2023, to give producers more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was June 2. The announcement pertains to disasters experienced in the calendar years 2020 and 2021.

On May 30, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service announced Under Secretary Alexis Taylor will lead the upcoming agricultural trade mission to Japan in early June. “As one of the world’s leading economies, Japan is an important market for U.S. food and agriculture exports. It is an incredible honor to lead this delegation as we work to expand our bilateral trade relationship even further,” said Taylor. “I am extremely pleased by the diverse set of businesses in our delegation as we connect many women-, minority-, and veteran-owned U.S. agribusinesses with potential business partners in Japan.”

Next week, the Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on “How the Farm Bill Works for Specialty Crop Producers” on Wednesday, June 7. Additionally, the House Agriculture Committee will hold two hearings: “The Future of Digital Assets: Providing Clarity for Digital Asset Spot Markets” and “Innovation, Employment, Integrity, and Health: Opportunities for Modernization in Title IV.” These hearings will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Wheat Quality Council Hard Red Spring Wheat and Durum tour. The Wheat Quality Council will again sponsor a Hard Spring and Durum Wheat Tour this July. We will follow our traditional routes and make field stops every 10-15 miles. We will provide expertise in each car to train with throughout the day. These tours are a great way to see this year’s crop firsthand and get training in the fields to learn about yield, insects, and disease problems that may affect the crop. We will have dinner together each night and hear reports from each car. We shuffle car assignments each day. It’s a great way to meet others in the industry.

BNSF helps with the educational event, Wheat 101, that is held in conjunction with the NAWG/US Wheat Winter meeting in Washington, DC. Have you seen the Virtual Train Tour on the BNSF website? https://www.bnsf.com/ Take this 3D tour and learn about all the different kinds of rail cars. Rail is crucial to agriculture, especially wheat, since approximately 50 percent of our wheat grown in the US is exported.

Winter Wheat Contestants for the National Wheat Yield Contest are reminded to save an 8 lb sample of their grain when they harvest. The 24 National Winners will be asked to ship their samples in for quality testing. A panel of experts will evaluate the wheat quality, and awards are given to the top-quality winners in each wheat class. Contestants from Texas are already harvesting! Good Luck, and if you have any questions about the contest rules, contact Anne Osborne (aosborne@wheatworld.org). Spring Wheat Entries are accepted now-August 1. To enter the contest, go to www.yieldcontest.wheatfoundation.org