NAWG and other agricultural organizations are urging consumers to add farmers and American agriculture to the lists of things they are thankful for when tallying up their blessings over turkey and pie.

Thirty-five Members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday requesting an up or down vote on the Colombia free trade agreement “without further delay”.

NAWG and almost 50 other agricultural organizations wrote Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orszag this week making a pitch for a $500 million allocation for the new Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) in the FY2011 budget.

Registration and housing reservations opened this week for the 2010 Commodity Classic, set for March 4 to 6 in Anaheim, Calif.

NAWG and 20 other producer groups wrote Members of the House Agriculture Committee this week expressing concerns about the status of the Farm Credit System under a consumer protection bill passed by the House Financial Services Committee.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved its version of a food safety bill on Wednesday by a voice vote.

NAWG CEO Daren Coppock traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, this week to participate in the British Crop Production Council (BCPC) Congress.

NAWG, U.S. Wheat Associates and other agricultural organizations are urging growers to contact their Members of Congress about the importance of passing legislation to ease trade restrictions with Cuba.

Organizations representing wheat and corn growers in the Chesapeake Bay region provided input this week to leaders of a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee considering a bill that could drastically expand Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jurisdiction over agricultural operations in that area.

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee passed the Boxer-Kerry climate change legislation out of Committee Thursday despite a Republican boycott of the meeting.

NAWG CEO Daren Coppock attended a Wednesday roundtable discussion on crop insurance with the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.

The 2009 Wheat Industry Leaders of Tomorrow (WILOT) training program for incoming wheat association leaders was held this week in St. Louis.

Grower-leaders and staff from NAWG and U.S. Wheat Associates will travel to Kansas City, Mo., next week for the annual Trade Talk interview fair, sponsored by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting as part of its annual convention.