American Ag Today- 11/19/24

And welcome into a new episode of American Ag Today produced by the American Ag Radio Network and powered by farm and ranch media. I'm your host Jesse Allen. Great to have you along with us here today. Well, coming up on our program, we're going to hear some sights and sounds from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention in Kansas City, Missouri from last week. But first, breaking news out on Monday.

Senate ad committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan unveiling the text of a proposed farm bill, a near 1400 page bill bringing to the table here in the lame duck session of Congress. American ag networks Corinne LaRue has more in this report.

Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow published proposed Farm Bill early Monday with Congress set to adjourn in just 17 session days alongside her retirement looming at the end of this term. Stabenow was making a final push to pass the nearly 1,400-page Farm Bill, or at the very least, bring it to the table.

Let's break down key differences in Stabenow's version compared to the House Ag Committee's Farm Bill proposed earlier this year in May. Side note, before we dig in, in essence, allocation is the act of reserving funds to a broader purpose or program, but doesn't necessarily dictate exactly how or where they will be spent. Directing funds, however, provides a more focused guidance and often involves specific instructions or restrictions on the use of the funds to ensure they are spent as intended.

First is the area of climate and conservation funding. Sabanao's proposal directs funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, specifically towards climate smart conservation practices with a focus on carbon sequestration and improving soil health. In contrast, the House Ag Committee's proposal reallocates $14.4 billion from the IRA, initially designated for climate-friendly initiatives to broader conservation efforts that don't prioritize a strict climate focus.

then for nutritional assistance or SNAP benefits, Stabenow's proposal invests $8.5 billion to enhance SNAP, aiming to improve access for military families, seniors, and college students, and to increase the availability of fruits and vegetables. The House proposes a $27 billion reduction in SNAP funding over 10 years by limiting the Department of Agriculture's authority to update cost calculations, effectively reducing benefits.

Next is farm safety nets and disaster assistance. Stabenow's proposal includes $20 billion to strengthen the farm safety net, establishing a permanent disaster assistance framework for quicker relief and increase reference prices while making crop insurance more affordable.

And while the house proposal emphasizes enhancing farm commodity supports, it doesn't establish a permanent disaster assistance structure. And for rural development, stab-and-ouse proposal allocates $4.3 billion to improve rural health care,

childcare, education, broadband access, and job creation, aiming to enhance the overall quality of life in rural areas. While the house proposal supports rural development, it doesn't specify a dedicated funding amount or detailed initiatives comparable to Stabenau's proposal. Go to americanagnetwork.com for more detailed coverage of the Farm Bill. I'm Corinne LaRue.

Now reaction coming into the release of the near 1400 page Farm Bill text from Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, including from the ranking member on the Senate Ag Committee, Arkansas Senator John Bozeman. In a post on the Senate Ag Republicans X account, he was quoted as saying, quote, an 11th hour partisan proposal released 415 days after the expiration of the current Farm Bill is insulting. America's farmers deserve better end quote.

Also in a statement, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said that Republicans on the ad committee were blindsided by the near 1400 page document saying, quote, this morning, chairwoman Stabenow released her farm bill text to 1400 page document that no Republican committee member has reviewed or had the opportunity to collaborate on. This is not a sincere or transparent effort to address the urgent needs of rural America. Instead, it is a last minute power play in the final hours manipulating her majority power in the Senate ad committee.

before losing the gavel. You know, Marshall went on to add in part quote, today's move shows that Senate Democrats have walked away from meaningful bipartisan negotiations that are a tradition in this committee and have opted to play politics with the livelihoods of hardworking farmers and ranchers at a time when rural America needs real solutions and quote.

various ag and commodity groups also sharing their reactions, including the National Pork Producers Council. In a statement, MPPC President Lori Stevermer of Minnesota said, quote, though America's pork producers appreciate Chairwoman Stabenow's efforts to publish farm bill text. This is simply not a viable bill as it fails to provide a solution to California prop 12. Pork producers have continually spoken up about the negative impacts of this issue. And it has ashamed these conversations were disregarded end quote.

and we'll continue to follow this story as it unfolds here over the week ahead. For right now, let's head back to the NAFB Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Last week, we talked with West Fred and learned about their national wheat yield contest winners. West Fred marketing manager, Kerry Roach, join me for conversation. We just had the release of the national wheat yield contest winners. And of course, a lot of those winners were growing West Fred wheat here this season. Talk about that for us.

Yeah, West Fred is really excited about the National Wheel of Contest results, 12 of the 26 growers planted West Fred varieties, and that really just helps to shine a light on high-performing growers, planting high-performing varieties in a management practice that fits their area, and really what you can achieve by doing so.

And I know as well, a lot of those growers that were winners, the Northern Plains, the Pacific Northwest, of course, some of those high yielding spring wheat varieties from West Fred.

Yeah, you know, WB-9590 is one that won, I believe, five of those wins, five of the 12 wins, so excited about that one. 96-68 is another one that won. I believe there were two of those that won, 96-06, also had a win. So we really are excited about our spring wheat lineup in the Northern Plains.

Well, I'm thinking about next year as well, making decisions I know for a lot of growers, reaching out to their local West Fred representative and more. Now's that time as we start thinking about next year, especially for spring wheat varieties.

Yeah, absolutely. When you think about your Westbred varieties, really, we're helping you to find the variety that fits your management practice, that fits your area. So make sure you're reaching out to your Westbred seed supplier, let them know what you're looking for, what are your challenges, and we'll find that variety that best fits your needs, your challenges, your management practices in order to achieve those high yields, and also good quality products.

And I know, too, if they have questions, they can go online to get started on the West Fred website, right? You can find information at westbred.com on our varieties. You can also find your local seed supplier if you don't know who that is. So go to westbred.com. Fantastic. Thanks for joining us here at NAFB. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Once again, Kerry Roach, Westbred marketing manager joining me at the NAFB Convention, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting last week in Kansas City. That is going to do it for this episode of American Ag Today, produced by the American Ag Network and powered by farm and ranch media. Thanks for joining us. As always, I'm Jesse Allen. Have a great rest of your day.