Weekly Update for
September 18

This week, NAWG held its Fall Fly-in, bringing together leaders from across the wheat industry to engage with members of Congress, USDA officials, and White House staff on key issues impacting growers nationwide. Highlights of the event included high-level discussions on the Farm Bill 2.0, the Food for Peace program, and the need for "bridge" assistance payments to support farmers facing economic challenges.

Registration and hotel booking are now open for the 2025 Joint NAWG/NWF/USW Fall Board Meeting, taking place Tuesday, November 4 through Thursday, November 6, 2025, in Austin, Texas at The Westin Austin at The Domain. We encourage all attendees to arrive by late morning on Tuesday, November 4. The Board of Directors meeting will conclude at noon on Thursday, November 6, so please plan your return travel accordingly. The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is approximately 26 minutes from the hotel. The deadline to register and reserve your hotel room is October 13. Register and book your accommodations below.

On September 18, the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development held a hearing to examine the effectiveness of USDA Rural Development programs and discuss issues facing rural communities such as access to health care and high-speed internet. Witnesses included Bette Brand (Former Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development), Paul Heimel (National Association of Counties), Lynne Keller Forbes (National Association of Development Organizations), and Xochitl Torres Small (Former Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary for Rural Development). They provided input on rural America that could shape the Farm Bill 2.0. Key ideas included expanding economic opportunity, improving quality of life through infrastructure, and providing services like healthcare. Watch the full hearing below.

On Wednesday, September 17, House Agriculture Ranking Member Craig (MN-02) released a statement following the decision by the Republican majority to ban the U.S. House of Representatives from voting to overturn President Trump’s tariffs. Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S Constitution establishes Congress’s role in setting tariffs and regulating foreign commerce. This week, House Republican leaders decided to ban the House from challenging the president’s unilateral tariffs until March 2026. This is the second time House Republicans have removed the 119th Congress of its ability to stop the president’s trade wars. Craig’s statement is as follows: “I have heard my Republican colleagues say that they are gravely concerned with the economic situation in farm country. Some go as far as to say they have never seen it this bad before – an implicit acknowledgement that the president’s trade wars are failing America’s family farmers. Yet, they continue to look the other way and wash their hands of trade policy that Congress has every right to challenge or overturn. Any self-respecting representative of farm country would stand up and fight this. Our family farmers deserve better.”

On Tuesday, September 16, the full committee on Agriculture held a meeting to examine the current state of the specialty crop industry. Witnesses Michael Frantz (Frantz Wholesale Nursery), Ramesh Sagili (Professor, Oregon State University), Tim Boring (Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), and Dana Brennan (Grimmway Farms) discussed various aspects of the specialty crop industry, including the economic crisis, workforce challenges, and the need for strategic investments in food security. Watch full hearing below.

The Agriculture Department is a step closer to getting three new undersecretaries after the Senate voted Wednesday to expedite the first package of nominees under a new fast-track process Republicans are employing. The three USDA nominees in the package are Richard Fordyce to be undersecretary for farm production and conservation, Dudley Hoskins to be undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and Scott Hutchins to be undersecretary for research, education and economics. Republicans had grown increasingly frustrated that some nominees couldn’t be approved on a fast-track basis under Senate rules and on Monday voted to change the rules to allow nominations to be considered as a group. A final vote on the nominees could come soon after the Senate voted 52-47 to limit debate on the package.

Most, if not all, of the participants at this week’s Fly-in have or will attend one of our leadership programs. These programs help to teach how to be a better advocate for the wheat industry. Thanks to Bayer for the Bayer leadership program and Syngenta for the leadership at its best program. The National Wheat Foundation facilitates these programs along with our partners, Bayer and Syngenta.