Weekly Update for
September 28

On September 22, Jamie Kress spoke on behalf of the National Association of Wheat Growers on the Agriculture of America Podcast. Kress reported on takeaways from NAWG’s summer fly-ins and priorities for NAWG in the Farm Bill. “For our organization, top of mind is protecting crop insurance,” said Kress, which was emphasized in the over 110 offices that were visited between the two fly-ins. The American Farmers Feed the World Act of 2023 from the Senate was also discussed. “The use of American-grown commodities in food aid has been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign assistance programs for decades. We want to see that continue,” Kress said.

On September 20, NAWG CEO Chandler Goule participated in the Agricultural Markets Advisory Council (AMAC) Fall Meeting. Erik Fyrwald, the CEO of Syngenta, spoke about agriculture innovations his company is leading to help combat food security and climate change. Dr. Joseph Glauber, a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, gave an update on U.S. Agriculture and China, the largest agricultural importer in the world. Goule represented NAWG alongside the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, and others as a member of this council.

On September 26, NAWG joined over 100 organizations in sending a letter urging Representatives urging them to oppose cuts to the Food for Peace Program. Contained within the House FY2024 Agriculture Appropriations bill (H.R.4368) is an amendment that – if enacted – would reduce funding for the program by $1.2 billion, or by nearly 70 percent. The letter states that Food for Peace program benefits both recipients and the U.S. economic and national security interests and that past recipient countries are now vital trading partners with the U.S. NAWG, along with the North American Millers’ Association, state wheat organizations, and other commodity organizations signed in support of this letter. At this time, the House and Senate have yet to send an ag appropriations bill to the president.

The USDA announced on September 27 that it will start issuing natural disaster emergency relief payments for the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) and will conclude the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase Two. At present, USDA is finalizing how it will implement the ERP prefilled applications for producers who experienced a qualifying disaster in 2022. While USDA published a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in the Federal Register on Wednesday, September 27, for the ELRP program, a separate NOFA is anticipated that will outline the program for row crops. These actions relate to the $3.7 billion in ad hoc disaster aid authorized as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. To stay up to date on the ERP program and learn more, check out the USDA’s Emergency Relief dashboard below.

On September 22, the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program for farmers, ranchers and forest owners, was extended from October 31, 2023, to January 13, 2024. Feedback from potential applicants, program administrators, and community partners of the program led to the extension. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “We believe this is the appropriate action to take to ensure all eligible individuals wishing to apply are adequately informed about the program and have the opportunity to receive any necessary assistance.” Applicants can be farmers, ranchers and forest owners who have experienced discrimination from USDA farm lending programs before January of 2021. Requests for Farm Service Agency (FSA) records for applications must be made before November 3, 2023.

On September 27, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing titled “Foreign Ownership in U.S. Agriculture.” The first panel consisted of four Senators who have introduced legislation that would work to address various issues related to foreign ag land purchases. The second panel consisted of USDA Deputy Under Secretary Gloria Montano Greene, University of Arkansas National Agriculture Law Center Director Harrison Pittman, and Michigan State University Associate Professor Dr. David Ortega. “Thanks to the database established under that law (Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978), we know that foreign investors today hold an interest in nearly 40 million acres of American farm and forest land – which represents just over 3 percent of all privately held agricultural land in the U.S. While this is a small fraction of overall agricultural land, foreign ownership has increased 66 percent since 2010 – nearly 2 million acres per year,” said Stabenow, “The largest foreign stakeholders in American farmland remain countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and those in Europe – while Chinese ownership is less than one percent of all foreign-held farmland up to this point." “I have been asked many times for my thoughts on this matter and my answer has always been that we need to better understand the problem before we can provide a solution,” said Boozman, “Today’s hearing is a good first step in bringing more information to the discussion. My hope is that at the end of today’s hearing, we will have a clearer picture of the scope and scale of the issues foreign ownership of US farmland poses to our country.”

On September 26, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), released a bipartisan Continuing Resolution to extend government funding through November 17. Currently, federal funding would lapse at midnight on September 30, 2023. “A shutdown would be nothing short of a catastrophe for American families, our national security, and our economy. It is critical that we avoid one, and that’s exactly what this bipartisan legislation will do,” said Chair Murray. “While we continue work on annual appropriations bills to address our country’s full needs in the year ahead, this legislation prevents a shutdown, keeps our government funded, and provides critical dollars to support communities struck by disaster and support Ukraine at a pivotal moment in its defensive efforts against Putin’s brutal, unprovoked war of aggression. This bill ensures wildland firefighters will not see a pay cut, and it prevents critical laws from lapsing to ensure the FAA and community health centers can continue operating. We have much more to do, but we should pass this legislation immediately—there is no time to waste.”

On September 21, the bipartisan Producer and Agricultural Credit Enhancement (PACE) Act was introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives, which is supported by NAWG and other commodity organizations. The PACE Act increases the operating and ownership loan capabilities of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), which are authorized under the Farm Bill. “Too many American farmers and producers operate on razor-thin margins. Having access to credit can often mean the difference between economic viability and financial hardship. By expanding credit opportunities for producers and farmers, this legislation will strengthen the rural economy across Minnesota and the country,” said Klobuchar. If passed, FSA’s Guaranteed Operating Loans would increase from $2.04 million to at least $3 million, Guaranteed Ownership Loans would increase from $2.04 million to a minimum of $3.5 million, Direct Ownership Loans would increase from $400,000 to $750,000, and Direct Ownership Loans would increase from $600,000 to $850,000. The PACE Act was introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Hoeven (R-ND) in the Senate and by Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN-01) and Angie Craig (D-MN-02) in the House of Representatives.

On September 27, Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4) shared his concerns about the future of the Lower Snake River Dams. In his column, Newhouse pointed out the lack of communication and cooperation on the high-stakes issue. “I strongly implore the Biden Administration and dam-breaching advocates to engage with all the key stakeholders who will be affected by their decision, rather than solely focusing on the plaintiffs in this case, to ensure a more productive, inclusive, and transparent mediation process,” said Newhouse.

October 1, 11:59 p.m. EDT is the deadline to submit your yield contest data. Please be sure to keep a copy of the Harvest Confirmation. If you need help, you must contact Anne Osborne (aosborne@wheatworld.org before the deadline. No late entries will be accepted. Good Luck!

Tips for Selecting the Right Wheat Variety Winter wheat is being planted (or will soon be planted) in many areas of the United States with spring wheat planning already underway for next spring. Whether you’re finalizing this year’s winter wheat selection or shifting your attention to next year’s varieties, taking a season-long, holistic approach can result in optimized ROI and yield potential. First, you need to understand what your goal is. Are you hoping to drive yield or are you using wheat as a rotational crop? Knowing your goals for the crop will help you best select the right varieties to match those goals. For instance, it is important to know what the strengths and weaknesses are for each variety, whether it is dealing with stress, disease, or providing big yield potential, so you can best match them to the right acre, the right production goal, and plan for any in-season nutrient or fungicide applications. Speaking of in-season needs, be sure to understand if the wheat variety you want has a high demand for N, or if it is able to handle tougher soil conditions with less nitrogen availability. All CROPLAN® wheat varieties are scored as having a low, medium or high return on nitrogen application to better help you manage your nitrogen inputs and increase ROI potential. Also, be sure to manage micronutrients such as sulfur. Sulfur plays a big role in yield and protein creation, so making sure to have a plan to feed your high-yielding wheat the N and S it needs is important to make sure you get the yield and quality you are planning for! No matter what Mother Nature has in store for your crop, planning ahead can help you and your wheat crop be positioned for success!

The GrainChain provided comments at the recent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee meeting. Representing the GrainChain was Sam Schneider, a dedicated rice farmer, miller and owner of Inland Cape Rice Company, and Ron Suppes, Chairman of the Wheat Foods Council.