National Association of Wheat Growers

House Ag Committee Starts Farm Bill Mark Up

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:24:42 GMT

The push to get a five-year farm bill has been renewed in the House Ag Committee as Chairman G.T. Thompson released language and mark up began on Tuesday.

One Big Beautiful Bill Omits Farm Bill Titles

While some question why a new long term farm bill is needed, a cross section of the nation’s farm groups explain the bill did not cover all the titles normal included in a long-term farm bill.

“We had a lot of the provisions of the farm bill that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill — the increase in reference prices, some changes and improvements to crop insurance, etc. But there’s still some really important aspects of the farm bill that need to be passed,” says Steve Censky, chief executive officer of the American Soybean Association.

Sam Kieffer, chief executive officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, points out the One Big Beautiful Bill did not touch the conservation title or reauthorize programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Nor did the legislation deal with credit or expand farm loan limits.

“It is time to give our folks some certainty when it comes to conservation programs, when it comes to credit. The cost of doing business is drastically different than it was in 2018. And the 2018 Farm Bill was based off of data from three, four years prior. So, we want to make sure that we improve the credit section of of the farm bill, get that finished,” Kieffer says.

Farm Safety Net Needed

Kieffer adds a farm bill is also needed to provide certainty to farmers and offer a farm safety net in times of negative margins.

“There’s three years of market loss that our growers are struggling with at the moment, and they’re making hard decisions. Some of them are reducing acres, some of them are letting land go and there’s a price to be paid for that as well,” Kieffer says.

House Ag Committee Language Includes Prop 12 Ag Labeling Uniformity Act

Chairman Thompson’s farm bill language includes a Ag Labeling Uniformity Act, which covers pesticide registrations, according to Censky.

“Which means that the EPA is going to have preeminence when they make a health and safety determination of a pesticide, a crop protection product. You can’t have a state adopt different rules,” Censky says.

The House language also includes a national fix to California’s strict Prop 12 sow production standards and the possible patchwork of rules in other states.

However, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) would lose around $1 billion in budget authority over the next four fiscal years under the House Agriculture Committee’s GOP farm bill draft, according to calculations by the Congressional Budget Office. EQIP was essentially used as a funding source for other priorities in the legislation.

Include Food for Peace Program

Kieffer says NAWG also wants Congress to move the Food for Peace Program to USDA in the language of the Farm Bill.

“USDA knows how to deal with farm commodities. USDA is already in the business of engaging in food aid programs globally. They have the infrastructure. They have the personnel and they understand agriculture. So, the farm bill that is ready to be moved in the house here soon has a provision that would include that,” Kieffer adds.

Senate Preparing for Farm Bill Mark Up

While the Senate Agriculture Committee has not released farm bill language or scheduled a mark-up, chairman John Boozman told Agri-Pulse his committee will take up a farm bill of its own in the coming months. Timing will be dependent in part on how debate over a House version proceeds.

Will Congress Pass a Farm Bill?

Still there’s uncertainty about the appetite for passage of a farm bill in Congress according to Tim Lust, chief executive officer of National Sorghum Producers.

“A lot of these details honestly have been negotiated for a year or two, and it’s maybe little tweaks to them, but a lot of the main things haven’t really changed. It’s a matter of how do we get that across the finish line and find a way to get it signed into law?” he says.

USDA Delivers Thousands of Bridge Payments In a Matter of Days

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 15:56:32 GMT

In an afternoon general session, adjusted to fit USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’ schedule, the agency leader welcomed a record crowd of 12,000 to her home state of Texas as she stares down one of the most challenging moments in farming history. Farmers are facing high input costs, trade uncertainty and surging grain production.

“Between 2020 and last year when I spoke at this incredible event, fuel costs had increased 33%, seed costs had increased 19%, fertilizer prices had gone up 48%, labor up 44% and interest expenses up 71%,” said Rollins.

The frustration in the room was palpable following a year in 2025 where strong production was again unable to overcome swelling costs and expenses. Farmers here are now looking harder to Washington for answers as another season of negative margins stares them in the face.

“We’re seven years out from this last farm bill and all of this information that we’re trying to work with is so outdated, our costs are so different, we have to get something done,” said Jed Bower, the current president of the National Corn Growers Association and an Ohio farmer. “They have forgotten about rural America.”

Help is on the way

USDA did roll out an $11 billion rescue program called the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program as a way to help tide farmers over until safety net pricing adjustments kick in this fall. Those weren’t passed in a new Farm Bill but instead included in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed last year. Sign-ups for Bridge payments are currently underway with FSA even allowing Commodity Classic attendees to finalize their applications on the tradeshow floor. Some of those payments are already in farmers’ hands as Rollins told farmers help is on the way.

“I will not declare victory, we still have so much work to do, but I will declare that we have made great progress on the promises that were made,” said Rollins. “Since [the last time I was here] we have had 15 new trade deals and/or frameworks for US agriculture in key markets like the European Union, UK, Japan, Mexico and Southeast Asia.”

The secretary also pointing China’s return to the market and pending presidential meeting scheduled for later this month. Economists are forecasting the agricultural trade deficit to fall from $41.5 billion in 2025 to $35 billion this year. That shift is happening around a strong export year in 2025 for things like ethanol where exports were up 11%, dairy exports were up 15% and corn exports ending the year 29% higher.

Separately from trade, Rollins noting a litany of deregulation happening across agencies. In a post on X.com, the secretary listed a number of changes already underway. Rollins writing that to date the administration has cut 129 regulations for every new one, resulting in $211.8 billion in net cost savings. She says accomplishments in USDA deregulation agenda include:

Reversing the EPA endangerment finding impacting vehicle emissions standards
Raising poultry line speeds → ~16% lower chicken prices
Rescinding the Roadless Rule → opens 59M acres for timber
Cutting USDA NEPA regs by 66% (streamlining 7 rules into 1)
Reforming H-2A AEWR → saves farmers >$2B/year in labor costs
Clarifying WOTUS per recent Supreme Court ruling
Modernizing Forest Service oil/gas & minerals leasing rules

I’m in Floresville, TX today launching @USDA’s new Deregulatory Agenda for American Agriculture & Consumers! Thank you to the amazing Boening Family for welcoming us to your beautiful farm!!! The Trump Admin is cutting red tape to unleash innovation on farms & ranches while… pic.twitter.com/5NOdTT2dpX
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) February 26, 2026

USDA systems get an upgrade

While the world focuses on precision agriculture and technology adoption, the systems helping support American farmers has been embarrassingly slow to evolve.

“A GAO audit found that barely 15% of previous upgrades were delivered,” said Rollins. “We have been left with ancient technical architecture with 500 different custom-built systems and databases managed by over 1,000 different contractors that cost the taxpayer over $1 billion.”

The secretary announcing the ‘One Farmer, One File’ initiative as a way to streamline the data collection and services from USDA.

“This creates a single, streamlined record that follows you, the farmer, no matter where you go in USDA system,” explained Rollins. “When this initiative concludes, producers will be able to access their USDA data in a single, modern, secure system built to today’s cybersecurity standards.”

USDA Secretary Rollins watches as a producers enrolls at Commodity Classic

(USDA (X.com))

Rollins says it’s part of the administration’s broader vision of revamping how Americans interact with the government’s digital front door. She also made it clear that these new tools are optional.

“What does this mean? Do I have to do everything on a computer? No, these FSA offices will stay open. You will always have someone to walk into and sit down with to help with paper applications and traditional acreage reporting,” said Rollins. “This is not a mandate to digitize. We are not telling you we’re moving everything to your phone or your computer at home, but instead it is an expansion of options for our farmers.”

This is the first phase of a multi-year initiative. The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program is the very first program running fully on this new platform.

“After 72 hours we had over 30,000 applications go through the application process at login.gov” said Richard Fordyce, USDA undersecretary for farm production and conservation. “When the producer sees the form on their virtual device and hit sign here, that immediately goes to the county office. It’s then signed and certified and sent for payment, immediately.”

“The results have been stunning,” said Rollins. “In just the past few days, we have seen 50 times more producers sign up online than ECAP did over its entire five-month sign-up period last year. Adoption is up over 5,000% and several billion dollars have already been obligated. Many of you told me you’ve already had the check hit your bank account faster than any program ever before in the history of USDA.”

Rollins called it a new standard for the delivery of services. She says the IT and system upgrades are scheduled to be completed within the next 2 years.

Focus on 2026

Rollins laid out her priorities for the new year as farmers at Commodity Classic look for answers to the difficult balance sheet decisions awaiting their return to the farm. The top 5 boiled down to this:

Continue to deregulate
Strike new trade deals
Lower the cost of inputs
Expand markets at home with biofuels
Strengthen the farm safety net by passing a new Farm Bill

That will be easier said than done as each step comes with its own set of challenges. Rollins will be navigating closing Washington D.C. offices and moving staff to new regional hubs which she hopes to have done by the start of school next fall. Throw in global political uncertainty, stubborn inflation and stiff competition from Brazil, and the challenges are big.

“I want every American to understand that if we are not able to reverse the trend, the farm economy, the increase in inputs, the fewer markets around the world, protection from lawfare, if we’re not able to reverse that trend, then we not only will lose the greatest industry in American history, but we will also lose our country,” said Rollins. “There is no freedom unless we are able to feed and fuel ourselves.”

Is the U.S. Becoming Less Competitive in Growing Wheat? A New Warning Sign for the Future of Wheat

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 23:10:53 GMT

The same week as Brazil became the second country to approve the planting of GMO wheat , BASF announced it’s halting work to develop hybrid wheat in North America. The move is one the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) fears could ultimately drive more wheat acres out of the U.S., unless more public and private investments into research and development are made.

BASF isn’t moving out of wheat entirely; instead, the company is now focusing on developing a new type of wheat in Europe. According to Reuters , wheat breeders have been working to develop cross-bred wheat varieties that not only increase yields but make the crop more resistant to drought and disease. However, the hybridization of wheat is both costly and slow, which doesn’t provide much incentive to stay in the North America market.

BASF announced last month it’s cutting 2,600 jobs due to rising cost and weak earnings and, according to Reuters, those job cuts include hybrid wheat developers in the U.S. and Canada.

Wheat’s Struggle to Stay Competitive in the U.S.

Chandler Goule, CEO of NAWG, says BASF notified the association of its decision before the company made the announcement. Goule says while he understands BASF’s decision, he fears the U.S. could become less competitive and cause declining U.S. wheat acres over the next decade.

“That says a couple of things to us,” says Goule. “It says one, that the margins in the wheat industry are not wide enough to

generate enough financial support for continued research. That’s something I think we as an industry need to look at as a whole, not just because BAF pulled out. But that means we need to be putting more dollars towards research and advancement, so that these private companies and our land grants can all continue to help us move breeding programs forward.”

He says without that research, wheat won’t be as competitive a crop to grow in the U.S., when you compare it to other crops such as corn and soybeans.

“I fear that in the next 10 to 20 years, we will continue to see a decrease in wheat acres, even though we saw an uptick this year. But if you look at the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a steady decline of wheat acres in the United States. We’re going to do the same thing to the wheat industry that we did to the oat industry in that we’re going to push it all into Canada, because we are not able to adopt those advanced technologies. Then corn, soy, canola and other grains are going to take over what has predominantly been wheat acres for hundreds of years,” says Goule.

Is the Approval of GE Wheat in the U.S. a Possible Answer?

Also last week, Brazil, a country that plants about 3 million hectares of wheat annually, became the second country to approve the technology for planting. The first country to clear GE wheat for planting was Argentina. Brazil says global food supply fears and drought’s impact on the crop helped fuel the decision.

Could the U.S. approve GMO wheat next? Goule says because wheat is used in so many food products, education will continue to be key in finally getting U.S. consumers to trust and understand that GE wheat is safe.

“We aren’t able to take advantage of GE events like corn and soy, because we are a food grain and not a feed grain, and we are much closer to the consumer,” says Goule. “It’s unfortunate that the consumer is still so scared of such a safe technology that would actually help us produce more wheat to help us with situations like Russia and Ukraine. The hybridization of wheat is great, and that is moving us along faster than standardized breeding has, but it still is not as fast as if we were able to adopt advanced technologies like GE.”

Fighting for the Future By Reaching Those Outside of Ag

The fight to not only keep wheat competitive, but also grow its footprint in the U.S., is one Goule has already started. He says studies are currently underway to show the life-cycle of wheat, data that could prove just how climate-friendly a crop like wheat is for farmers and the environment. The other piece of that puzzle is to not only educate policy makers and consumers about the importance of wheat in the world’s food supply, but also why things like GE wheat are a sustainable path forward.

“Those urban members are so focused on SNAP and feeding programs, well those programs all focus around a grain-based diet, bread and other foods along those lines,” says Goule.

That’s why Goule thinks of wheat as a food grain instead of a feed grain. He says it’s vital that not only the wheat industry, but also those representing rice and pulse crops, continue to push those conversations beyond just agriculture.

“I think the more that we can start looking outside the box and not talking just to our echo chamber here in ag, but really start educating these urban members on why this technology is important,” he says. “We have to educate on why we should increase wheat acres in the United States, why a whole grain diet is so important not only for our kids and our consumers here in the U.S, but worldwide.”

Related Story:

‘It Looks Like a War Zone': Texas Farmer Describes Wheat Crop Now Ravaged by Sunday’s Derecho and Dust Storm

The Cost of a Farm Bill: 2023 Row Crop Priorities

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:35:54 GMT

The 2018 farm bill was stamped with a $428 billon price tag when the bill was passed. Nutrition, crop insurance, commodities, trade and conservation programs were among the programs to receive the most funds.

With the 2018 bill set to expire on Sept. 30, the Congressional Research Service last May released baseline spending for the same programs starting in the 2023 farm bill. The baseline shows a decrease in commodities and conservation, while nutrition, trade and crop insurance increased.

As the debate heats up, here’s a breakdown of what ag groups look to push on the 2023 farm bill negotiating table:

1. Crop Insurance

Industry leaders sounded the crop insurance alarm on the The Hill in Jan. when some 60 groups signed a letter to Senate and House Ag Committee members, pushing for protections from “harmful” insurance cuts.

“Farmers spend as much as $4 billion per year of their own money to purchase insurance from the private sector. On average, farmers also must incur losses of almost 30 percent before their insurance coverage pays an indemnity,” the groups wrote in the letter. “Given the challenges faced by rural America and the critical nature of crop insurance, cuts to the program should be avoided.”

Crop insurance is permanently authorized in a farm bill. However, amendments are often posed to the crop insurance title, adding an element of concern for producers.

Leaders at the American Soybean Association (ASA) are looking to play defense in the title, says Christy Seyfert, ASA executive director of government affairs.

“In the past, amendments have been proposed to use crop insurance as a funding resource for priorities outside of crop insurance,” Seyfert says. “We’re looking to protect against harmful amendments that make crop insurance more expensive for farmers.”

Read more: Stepped-Up Basis Leaning in Favor of Rural America on House Ways and Means Panel

National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) is aiming to take a different approach.

“We’re looking to maintain and enhance the crop insurance reach for producers by expanding current authority and programs,” says Chandler Goule, NAWG CEO. “To help with continued market fluctuations and erratic weather patterns, we’re leaning more into the revenue side.”

2. Farm Safety Net

Most farmers who grow row crops will soon be making their decision between Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) .

The 2014 Farm Bill first introduced ARC and PLC with a reference price, while the 2018 Farm Bill allowed the reference price to increase by up to 15%, which is why it is now called the effective reference price.

This reference price should be a focus in 2023, according to Wayne Stoskopf, director for public policy for risk management and tax at National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) .

“The effective reference price is definitely something we want to maintain,” he says. “We’re looking at how much it would cost, as well as some of the potential benefits, if it or the statutory reference price we’re to be increased.”

Read more: ARC or PLC - Which Do I Choose for 2023

Goule echoed Stoskopf, saying with the increase in the cost of goods, services and inputs since 2018, a $5.50 reference price for wheat is “simply not a realistic backstop” of what it costs to produce a bushel of wheat in the U.S.

“We’re encouraging Congress to increase budget authority so we can raise the reference price to something that’s reflective of our current circumstances and potential costs in coming years,” Goule says.

3. Trade

U.S. ag exports reached a record high of $196.4 billion in fiscal year 2022, according to USDA. With $237 million in funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) for 2023, Seyfert foresees another export record. However, her team thinks more funding could be impactful.

“We’re looking to double funding for MAP and FMD in the next farm bill,” she says. “A jump to $400 million and $69 million, respectively, will help us continue to build relationships internationally.”

Read more: SHIP IT Act Could Save Truck Drivers Up to $10,000 and Cover CDL Costs

According to Seyfert, ASA and other associations feel increased investments will open new doors to untapped markets overseas.