2011 Fall Wheat Conference

The 2011 Fall Wheat Conference was held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2011, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Audio Reports

An audio report from each NAWG policy committee chairman covering happenings at the 2011 Fall Wheat Conference is available on NAWG’s audio page.

Photos

Photos from the 2011 Fall Wheat Conference are available on NAWG’s Facebook page.

Meeting Outcomes

From the Nov, 17, 2011, edition of NAWG’s Report from Washington: 

NAWG Adopts New Resolutions; NAWGF to Restructure Board

The NAWG Board of Directors and the NAWG Foundation Board of Directors met early this month in Scottsdale, Ariz., as part of the Fall Wheat Conference. Following is a summary of action items taken by each panel:

ASSOCIATION

The NAWG Board approved seven new resolutions, including:

• NAWG strongly supports continuing efforts to clarify that applications of crop protection products do not constitute point sources of pollution under the Clean Water Act when applied in accordance with legally-registered EPA labels. We support and acknowledge the work to pass H.R. 872 as the best means to accomplish this.
• NAWG supports a two-year moratorium on implementation of the Sixth Circuit Court decision in National Cotton Council vs. EPA and will work to ensure any studies resulting from a moratorium do not impose unnecessary restrictions on crop protection products.
• NAWG will work with coalition partners and EPA to ensure that crop protection risk assumptions and assessments reflect the most up-to-date agricultural practices.
• NAWG supports the main concepts of the Conrad plan subject to these trigger priorities: First – on-farm trigger, by-commodity revenue; Second – on-farm trigger, whole farm revenue; Third – county trigger, by-commodity revenue; Fourth – county trigger, whole farm revenue.
• NAWG requests wheat be included in the re-rating study from RMA to see what it would do to wheat growers’ premium.
• We support a comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that provides improved market access and includes ambitious language on 21st Century trade issues. We also encourage Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia to join the TPP framework.
• NAWG encourages U.S. government officials to engage their Brazilian counterparts to implement a 750,000 metric ton, zero-duty wheat quota to bring Brazil into compliance with its Uruguay Round of Agriculture Agreement commitment.

The Board also approved four farmers as National Wheat Improvement Committee regional grower representatives, including Jody Bellah of Texas, Hayden Eicher of Virginia, Mike Miller of Washington and Scott Lee of Minnesota.

An updated NAWG resolutions document is available here.

FOUNDATION

The NAWG Foundation Board of Directors adopted a resolution to amend the organization’s articles of incorporation to allow NAWG to be its sole member.

The Foundation Board also voted to amend the group’s bylaws, pending the articles change, to set up a nine-member board of directors.

The Foundation Board tasked the NAWG Nominating Committee with soliciting and reviewing candidate applications for the new board, which should be reviewed by the existing Board at the Foundation’s January meeting and seated at the Foundation’s March meeting.

The Foundation Board also reviewed initial planning for a renovation of the Wheat Growers Building, which the Foundation owns.

The governance and building-focused action items are related to an ongoing strategic planning process started last fall. These and other changes are meant to refocus the organization and enhance its educational, research and outreach missions.