Weekly Update for
September 3

On September 1, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR), to fund the federal government through December 11. The measure passed the House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote of 370-48. It previously passed the Senate in a vote of 90-6. NAWG CEO Sam Kieffer provided the following statement in response. “NAWG is encouraged to see Congress take the necessary action to temporarily fund the federal government and avoid another government shutdown. But with a long list of critical priorities still before Congress, there is much more work to be done before the end of the year. Wheat growers are facing sustained economic challenges, including volatile commodity prices, high input costs, and intensifying global competition. Given the severity of conditions across the farm economy, Congress must also consider additional near-term economic assistance to help farmers weather continued financial pressures. At the same time, short-term assistance cannot replace the certainty provided by strong federal farm policy. Congress must act with urgency to deliver a comprehensive, long-term farm bill that strengthens the farm safety net and provides wheat growers with the certainty and stability they need to continue growing the nation’s food and supporting a strong agricultural economy.” President Trump quickly signed the legislation that keeps the federal government operating through December 11.

This week, NAWG CEO Sam Kieffer released a new Heads-Up: Wheat in D.C. blog outlining NAWG’s priorities as Congress returns to Washington for the fall session. With only a few weeks before the September 30 deadline, lawmakers face several critical issues for agriculture, including completing the farm bill and addressing government funding. The farm bill remains stalled in the Senate, leaving wheat growers frustrated after nearly three years of waiting for a comprehensive, long-term farm safety net. Meanwhile, high fertilizer, diesel, energy and other input costs, along with tariffs and global instability, continue to put significant pressure on farm families. While federal assistance has provided some short-term relief, growers are calling for durable policies that address the underlying challenges facing the farm economy, including the need for open markets and predictable trade relationships. Kieffer emphasizes that wheat growers need Washington to look beyond election cycles and provide stable, long-term policies that give farmers the confidence to plan for the future. Read the full blog below.

This week, NAWG joined a coalition of specialty-crop growers and handlers, other agricultural commodities, food and beverage companies, and state regulatory agencies and sent a letter to the FDA urging the agency to pair its forthcoming “Closer to Zero” guidance on cadmium in processed foods for babies and young children with a comprehensive consumer education campaign. The groups emphasize that cadmium occurs naturally in soil and can be present at low levels in certain crops, and that unclear messaging could lead consumers to unnecessarily avoid healthy and nutritious foods and cause significant economic harm to growers. The letter calls on FDA to define the guidance’s scope, emphasize the significance of nutritional context, and coordinate consumer communications with USDA, state regulatory partners, and other aligned agencies. Read the full letter below.

Registration and hotel reservations are now open for the 2026 Joint NAWG/NWF/USW Fall Meeting! The meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 2 through Wednesday, November 4, 2025, in Albuquerque, NM at The Clyde Hotel. We would encourage you to arrive in time for the National Wheat Foundations Board Meeting at 1 pm Monday, November 2. Regarding departures, the board of directors meeting is scheduled to end at 11 am on Wednesday, November 4. So, please plan your departure accordingly. The airport is a 12-minute drive from our hotel. You will find everything you need below. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Albuquerque!

This week, Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13) introduced H.R. 9807, the “Americans vs. Poisonous Pesticides Act,” which would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to preserve certain state-law failure-to-warn claims against pesticide manufacturers. The bill would clarify that EPA registration and label approval do not prevent such claims and would allow registrants to voluntarily update pesticide labels when new information indicates a product may be misbranded, without prior EPA approval. If enacted, the legislation could increase litigation and regulatory uncertainty for pesticide registrants and potentially affect the availability and labeling of agricultural products. The bill was referred to the House Agriculture Committee and has been cosponsored by Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Thomas Massie, and Chellie Pingree.

On September 1, USDA announced a new Data Modernization Plan aimed at making agricultural data collection more efficient, accurate, timely, and useful for farmers and other stakeholders. The plan seeks to reduce the amount of time farmers spend providing information by increasing the use of existing administrative data, improving mobile reporting tools, and reducing duplicate requests. USDA also plans to test technologies such as satellite imagery, geospatial tools, and crop models to improve estimates of crop acreage and yields while continuing to incorporate information from growers. Another focus is modernizing USDA’s technology systems, improving secure data sharing, and evaluating the responsible use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The department says it will also strengthen farmer privacy, transparency about how data is collected and used, and opportunities for farmers and ranchers to provide feedback. USDA plans to begin implementing the changes immediately while continuing to evaluate new methods and publish information about its data practices and methodologies.

The Foundation would like to highlight another very helpful tool for wheat growers. The Wheat Trials database provides complete access to winter wheat variety information and yield trial data from public and private programs in US Great Plains states. Winter wheat growers can use this database to search for wheat variety information. There are selection tools to run head-to-head comparisons of different varieties. This extremely helpful tool can be found at www.wheattrials.com. Thank you to Dr. Scott Haley and the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation for this valuable tool. The National Wheat Yield Contest encourages everyone to use this tool to find the varieties that will provide both high yield and high-quality wheat.

Even though the 2026 contest is still going and contestants have until October 1, 2026 to put in their harvest data, the contest is busy preparing for the 2027 contest. The Winter Wheat Dryland category will be broken down further by class of wheat for the 2027 contest. Additionally, durum wheat will be in its own category and there will be 4 national winners in durum. The contest categories for 2027 are: Winter Wheat Dryland Soft Red Winter Wheat Dryland Soft White Winter Wheat Dryland Hard Red/White Winter Wheat Irrigated Soft Red Winter Wheat Irrigated Soft White Winter Wheat Irrigated Hard Red/White Spring Wheat Dryland Spring Wheat Irrigated Durum Wheat Dryland Durum Wheat Irrigated Contestants are encouraged to register for an account on the contest website, www.wheatcontest.org and put their entries in for 2027 starting March 1, 2027.

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.