SALINA – Two key wheat meetings in late January will offer growers the chance to hear projections for upcoming farm bill negotiations from national policymakers, newsmakers and a market analyst and weigh in on the policies impacting the wheat industry. Both surround the 2023 Kansas Commodity Classic, the annual convention of the Kansas corn, wheat, soybean and grain sorghum associations coming on Jan. 27 to Salina.
“This year’s farm bill must support agricultural producers by giving them tools to manage risk and to work and conserve the land they make a living on,” said Kansas U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, who is a panelist at one of the upcoming meetings. Moran is a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.
“We also must make certain farmers have access to a robust crop insurance program that protects their livelihoods,” he said. “I am hopeful that we can work together to pass a strong Farm Bill that supports our producers.”
The 2024 bill comes at a perilous time for agriculture.
“What a year in the world of wheat with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, drought, high input prices and even a potential rail strike,” said Shayna DeGroot, KAWG director of membership and governmental affairs. “Join us for discussions with policymakers and policy-watchers as we work to address wheat farmers’ needs in the upcoming growing season and Farm Bill negotiations.”
The opportunities include:
• The 2023 Kansas Commodity Classic returns to Salina on Jan. 27 at the Hilton Garden Inn. This year’s event will be emceed by farm broadcaster Greg Akagi, WIBW 580 AM.
The Kansas Commodity Classic is hosted by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Kansas Corn Growers Association, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association and Kansas Soybean Association. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. with registration and breakfast with a welcome from Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Beam, beginning at 8 a.m.
The morning sessions will feature a market update from Dan Maltby with Maltby Risk Management, a U.S. Agriculture in 2023 projection presentation from AgriPulse Communications Publisher Sara Wyant, a U.S. Senate up-date from Moran and a House Update panel featuring congressional staff.
Following lunch, the afternoon session includes a Farm Bill and Farm Programs Update from national association staff and a U.S. Senate Update from Senator Roger Marshall. The event will conclude at 2 p.m.
The event is free to attend. Preregistration is encouraged by visiting www.kansascommodityclassic.com/.
• One day ahead of the larger convention, members of the KAWG will meet separately to discuss KAWG activities and priorities. The annual meeting will take place at 3 p.m. on Jan. 26 at the Kansas Wheat Innovations Center in Manhattan. KAWG members will also have the opportunity to attend in person or via Zoom, and virtual attendance information will be emailed to members ahead of the event.
“This year we made sure Kansas wheat growers’ voices were heard over a broad spectrum of issues,” DeGroot said. “KAWG is proud to give our farmers a voice and keep you informed on events around the world.”
Background
Technically known as Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2023, this is primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government. The comprehensive omnibus bill is renewed every five years or so and deals with both agriculture and all other affairs under the purview of the United States Department of Agriculture.
These range from the SNAP benefits to school lunches to crop subsidies.
“The House Agriculture Committee held its first farm bill listening session today,” Moran said Friday. Senate Agriculture
The last farm bill, officially known as Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, funds these programs through this year and was projected to spend $428 billion over five years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Lawmakers must keep the new bill’s total within the baseline estimates for the previous farm bill or find another new funding source.
The current baseline for farm bill programs for the next five years is $648 billion, according to the CBO’s May 2022 estimates. A new estimate in spring 2023 will set the budget for the new farm bill.
The 2018 version, at the end of September. That means Congress must approve a new bill before then.
The first farm bill was part of the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal. The first incarnation was passed in 1933.
