Weekly Update for
September 10

On September 8, NAWG joined 28 other grower and food organizations in submitting a letter to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) regarding its 2026 Pre-Rulemaking Discussion Draft. The coalition’s comments focused on California’s proposed changes that would potentially require pasta made from wheat containing trace elements of naturally occurring heavy metals to carry a Proposition 65 “may cause cancer” warning label. The coalition urged California to maintain the language in the Final Statement of Reasons (FSR), which states: “It is evident from the regulation as a whole that once a chemical is exempt as a naturally occurring chemical in food, the exempt status of that particular chemical will ‘carry over’ to any other food to which it is added.” The coalition argues that this language is already clear, logical, and reasonable and should therefore be retained.

NAWG CEO Sam Kieffer traveled to South Dakota State University, where he visited with the South Dakota Wheat Growers Association and Commission. While there, Kieffer briefed the grower boards on NAWG’s advocacy in Washington DC and strategic plan priorities beyond lobbying. Kieffer also had the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge wheat research being conducted by South Dakota State University faculty and graduate students. New Wheat Foods Council Executive Director Sheri Glazer also joined the tour. The group stopped for a photo in front of a newly dedicated wheat sculpture memorializing the legacy and impact of Edgar S. McFadden, a South Dakota wheat breeder whose stem- and leaf-rust-resistant variety, “Hope,” is credited with preventing starvation for more than 25 million people.

Current projections indicate that wheat followed by double-crop soybeans will generate higher returns in southern Illinois in 2027 than either corn or stand-alone soybeans. The system is projected to provide an operator and land return of $309 per acre, compared with $204 for stand-alone soybeans and $135 for corn. The $309 return is $174 per acre higher than corn and $105 higher than stand-alone soybeans. Wheat followed by double-crop soybeans has also outperformed the two alternatives in several recent years. The system generated the highest operator and land return in 2022 and 2023 and is projected to do so again in 2026 and 2027. In 2026, the projected return is $289 per acre, compared with $217 for soybeans and $186 for corn. Over the 2021–2025 period, wheat-double-crop soybeans also had the highest average return at $363 per acre, compared with $293 for corn and $274 for stand-alone soybeans

Two of the National Wheat Foundation Directors’ second terms will expire in 2027; Scott Brown (ID) and Jeff Blackwood (industry). We want to thank and recognize Scott and Jeff for their tremendous contributions to the board. We are calling for anyone interested in serving on the National Wheat Foundation Board to submit your name, in writing, along with a brief resume to Boyd Heilig, NWF nomination committee chair (heiligb18@gmail.com) or Anne Osborne, NWF Executive Director (aosborne@wheatworld.org) by October 9th, 2026. Board terms are three years, and there is a maximum of two terms. The board holds two in-person meetings per year, plus it attends the Commodity Classic where they host the National Wheat Yield Contest winner’s reception.

Eastman is a partner of the National Wheat Yield Contest. Thank you, Eastman, for bringing innovation to US wheat growers and supporting the contest. Eastman Adjust™ SL plant growth regulator is now available in the United States.  Adjust SL offers a wider application window than other plant growth regulators (PGRs) and effective performance in low-temperature conditions. Now registered for use in wheat, barley, oats and triticale in the U.S., Adjust SL brings growers a proven chlormequat chloride solution. Learn more about Adjust SL below.