Weekly Update for
September 14

This week, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) completed the second part of its 2023 summer Farm Bill fly-ins. The first round of hill visits happened earlier this summer in July. During the hill visits, wheat growers from across the country reinforced NAWG’s core priorities and underscored the need for Congress to work together to ensure farmers can continue to provide safe and affordable food for all Americans. Between both summer fly-ins, wheat growers met with over 110 offices. “I want to thank all of the members of Congress, their staff, and wheat growers who took the time over the summer to meet in D.C. and talk about the Farm Bill,” said NAWG President and Oregon wheat farmer, Brent Cheyne. “It is so important for wheat growers to tell their story and share their needs and concerns with lawmakers to help formulate policies and programs that benefit wheat growers and the ag industry.” During the meetings, lawmakers and their staff expressed optimism about being able to proceed with a Farm Bill later this year. However, Congress must first pass a fiscal year 2024 appropriations package before federal funding runs out at the end of the month. While we are encouraged with the optimism to work towards finishing the Farm Bill in a timely manner, a common concern was the availability of new resources to make additional investments that could further improve the farm safety net.

On September 5-8, NAWG Secretary Jamie Kress and VP of Policy Jake Westlin participated in meetings and tours during BNSF’s Ag Rail Business Council’s Fall Meeting. The meeting included State of the Rail, Producer and Policy updates, along with a tour of EGT’s grain export terminal in Longview, WA. Westlin also visited the U.S. Wheat Associates Portland office and the Wheat Marketing Center, where Executive Director Mike Moran took Westlin on a tour of the facilities.

Recently, NAWG welcomed Rachel Mendez as the 2023 Fall Policy Intern and Bethany Cumming as the 2023 Fall Communications Intern. “Mendez and Cumming will be supporting the work of NAWG as we advocate for wheat farmers across the U.S. We are excited to have them join our team this fall,” said NAWG CEO, Chandler Goule. Both Mendez and Cumming come from agricultural backgrounds and look forward to the skills they will learn working alongside the NAWG team during the Farm Bill year.

Rural Minds, the National Grange, and the National Association of Wheat Growers are pleased to present a Rural Mental Health Connections Webinar – the third FREE webinar in the 2023 series on Tuesday, September 19 at 2:00 pm ET | 1:00 pm CT | 12:00 pm MT | 11:00 am PT. This webinar will provide suicide awareness and prevention training from NY FarmNet Family Consultant Jennifer Schwyzter, LMSW, a mental health professional with an approach that’s relevant to people living in rural communities. Learn about: What causes people to consider suicide Warning signs that someone may be considering suicide Strategies for managing one’s own mental health How to get help for someone in a suicidal crisis

On September 11, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Basil Gooden for Under Secretary of Rural Development. “I applaud President Biden for nominating him to take the helm of our critical Rural Development mission area,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Dr. Gooden’s firsthand knowledge of USDA programs and the needs of people who depend on them, his track record for advancing and improving policies that benefit agriculture and rural America, and his tenacity for teaching, advocating and learning make him an outstanding nominee for this position and a true asset for our department.” Dr. Gooden has previous experience as the Virginia State Director for Rural Development and USDA Director of State Operations for Rural Development. Rural Development is one of the USDA’s seven mission areas and focuses on creating jobs and improving the quality of life for Americans through loan and grant programs.

On September 12, the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report celebrated its 50th year sharing information with agriculture stakeholders since its start in 1973. The USDA reported that there is no change to the 2023/24 U.S. all wheat outlook or season-average farm price at $7.50 per bushel. The global wheat outlook predicts lower supplies compared to last month, with dry weather in Australia and Canada the reason for lower yield expectations. If this trend continues, 2023/24 could be the first year since 2018/19 to have year-to-year decline in global wheat production. World consumption is expected to stay the same with decreases in food, seed and industrial use but increases in feed and residual use.

This week, the Senate is considering the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 (H.R. 4366), which is a “Minibus” or a package of appropriations bills for Agriculture, Military Construction and Veteran Affairs (MilCon-VA), and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD). On Tuesday, the Senate voted 85 to 12 to proceed to floor action and commence debate on the package, which includes the fiscal year 2024 agriculture appropriations bill that was voted out of committee unanimously on June 12, 2023. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed all three appropriations packages in the Minibus unanimously earlier this summer. The Minibus will allow debate on all three appropriations bills before the Senate as the chamber considers separate legislative action for the remaining nine appropriations bills. In order to prevent a government shutdown, Congress must pass, and the president must sign into law separate or consolidated appropriations packages by the end of the federal fiscal year, which is September 30, 2023. On Wednesday, the administration announced its support for H.R. 4366.

On September 8, the revised definition for the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) was published in the Federal Register and made effective from that date forward. When the Environmental Protection Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers initially made public the revised rule, NAWG expressed concern over how these actions may have repercussions for wheat growers. NAWG CEO Chandler Goule stated on the matter that, “NAWG is disappointed both agencies are proceeding with these regulatory adjustments without public consultation on the proposed changes prior to finalizing the regulation.”

On September 11, Minnesota Wheat Growers and the National Wheat Foundation’s Anne Osborne attended the Next Five Years Conference put on by the Northern Crops Institute. Next Five Years focuses on shifts in the agricultural marketplace, and the effect of these shifts on local and global markets, consumers and producers. Speakers challenged attendees to consider the upcoming challenges and opportunities in the wheat industry and how they can adapt to these changes.