A functional farm safety net is essential for wheat producers, who are involved in one of the riskiest industries in our economy.

NAWG advocates for components of the safety net that are reliable, provide meaningful coverage for producers throughout the country and are mindful of the world-wide marketplace in which our commodities operate. Federal farm policies are a key part of United States domestic and international policy.

2012 Farm Bill Priorities

NAWG is cognizant of the current federal budget situation and has been working with other agriculture groups to develop programs that will ensure a stable and productive food supply despite our nation’s fiscal challenges. NAWG’s grower-leaders continued to analyze policy concepts and hold discussions with respect to the next generation of farm policy.

Here’s a timeline of major actions:

On Jan. 2, 2013, NAWG President Erik Younggren made this statement about the one-year farm bill extension approved as part of a package to avert the fiscal cliff.

On Nov. 13, 2012, NAWG and other ag groups wrote House leaders in both parties urging consideration and passage of a five-year farm bill in the lame duck session. That letter is here.

On Nov. 2, 2012, NAWG joined a coalition writing to House leaders outlining the critical threat to market access programs (MAP and FMD) of continued farm bill delay. That letter is available here.

On July 10, 2012, NAWG wrote leaders of the House Agriculture Committee outlining priorities for that panel’s 2012 Farm Bill mark-up. That letter is available in full here.

NAWG applauded Senate passage of the 2012 Farm Bill on June 21, 2012, including in a story available here. NAWG signed onto several letters during the Senate Farm Bill amendment process. One letter on pesticide regulations can be found here. The other, regarding an amendment on food labeling regulations, can be found here.

On May 17, 2012, NAWG President Erik Younggren testified before the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management on farm safety net priorities. That testimony is available here.

On April 19, 2012 NAWG and several other farm organizations submitted a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee stating the listed organizations’ shared views related to commodity and risk management programs. The full letter can be viewed here.

On March 15, 2012, NAWG President testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee regarding safety net programs. That testimony is available in full here.

On Oct. 25, 2011, then-NAWG President Wayne Hurst sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees outlining NAWG’s policy priorities with regards to farm policy changes. The full letter is accessible here.

In late June 2010, then-Second Vice President Erik Younggren provided NAWG’s first testimony as part of the 2012 Farm Bill process to the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. Younggren’s written testimony is available in full here.

2008 Farm Bill Process and Priorities

The dozens of letters, statements and official comments to Congress on farm bill issues produced in NAWG’s 2008 Farm Bill policy formation process are available in the 2008 Farm Bill archive page, available here.

Facts About Farm Policy

It’s important to separate fact from myth when talking about farm policy. To facilitate this process during the 2008 Farm Bill debate, NAWG and other leading farm organizations formed Farm Policy Facts, a coalition dedicated to educating Congress and the American people about agriculture’s contribution to a strong and vibrant United States. Visit the Farm Policy Facts Web site here.