ASSOCIATION PERSPECTIVES

New and Notable Wheat Policy Resolutions for 2007 

Each year the wheat and grain associations establish policy goals and resolutions, typically near the beginning of a new year, and before state and federal lawmakers meet.  The making and approval of association resolutions truly is a grassroots process, typically put forth by a committee of member volunteers for final approval by a yea or nay vote in a meeting of the full association membership.

The resolutions guide the associations on policy matters through the year and cover a range of issues related to grain production, from farm programs and taxes to research and the environment. As issues emerge and evolve, new resolutions are added and old ones either reaffirmed, amended, or dropped. Some resolutions don’t advance much beyond wishful thinking, while other ideas and concepts are adopted successfully at state and national levels.

Following are new and notable resolutions from the wheat/grain associations in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana.  National Association of Wheat Growers resolutions can be found under ‘issues’ online at www.wheatworld.org. 

Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers
Complete resolutions online 
www.smallgrains.org/2007ResolutionsFinal.pdf

The Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers…

• Supports biotechnology and encourages millers, bakers, and consumers to accept the use of biotechnology to improve wheat production and wheat end use qualities.
• Supports continuation of the current farm bill structure with adjustments to increase the wheat loan rate and target price while maintaining the direct payment level.
• Supports adding a permanent disaster assistance program to the new farm bill and that permanent disaster benefits be calculated, for each commodity, by using the higher of the MPCI indemnity price or the actual price of the crop insurance product the grower insured under.
• Supports adding a baseline energy title to the new Farm Bill.
• Supports increasing the renewable fuels standard in the energy bill.
• Supports FSA measurements fees based on a per site visit and not on an individual farm unit basis.
• Encourages Congress to pass a permanent natural disaster assistance program for agriculture. This program is triggered by a county disaster declaration.
• Supports a 2005 and/or 2006 Agriculture Disaster Assistance Program.
• Supports the feasibility study of a research and promotion checkoff on all wheat contracts sold at the Futures Exchanges.
• Supports the adoption of incentives in the new farm bill that encourages growers to plant winter wheat in the prairie pothole region to help increase the nesting success of the U.S. duck populations.
• Supports allowing 250 acres to be eligible for the mulch till incentive under the EQIP program.
• Opposes efforts to restrict state registration of, or require state environmental review of, pesticide products approved by the EPA
• Opposes legislation that places limits on or requires record keeping of commercial (non-manure) fertilizer applications.
• Opposes legislation that requires pesticide applicators to provide notice of application or that application records be made public
• Supports an increase in the mileage exemption for heavy highway vehicle use tax from 7,500 miles to 20,000 miles for agricultural vehicles

North Dakota Grain Growers Association
Complete resolutions online  www.ndgga.com

The North Dakota Grain Growers Association…

• Supports the creation and funding of separate legislation for the establishment of a permanent National Disaster Program covering all the nation’s disasters (including all agricultural disasters).
• Opposes taking limited funds from the commodity title of the farm bill to create a permanent disaster section in the new farm bill.
• Supports requiring the conservation section of the new farm bill to fund a wildlife support payment based on tillable acres. Payment would offset damages due to the increase in wildlife caused by the goal of current conservation legislation to increase wildlife.
• Recommends that the maximum CRP rental rates be not greater than the average rental rate in the township.
• Urges the U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Department to investigate the impact that trading countries’ currency values have on trade agreements.
• Encourages RMA to develop realistic quality adjustment tables that reflect actual market place discounts and encourages RMA to use grower organizations input in making these adjustments.
• Supports the continuation of a viable federal crop insurance program addressing continuation of Prevented Plant option; APH is not affected by reported prevented plant acres; and 85% payment level, at an affordable rate.
• Supports the concept of offering a whole farm, by crop, insurance program at levels of 90% of proven MPCI yields per farm.
• Supports an increase in the investment in, and research of, biotechnology enhanced wheat and barley products at NDSU.
• Supports legislation that would ensure confidentiality needed for universities to form partnerships with private companies.
• Demands Canada and the United States to share crop protections registration data in order to reduce the time and expense of product registration.
• Supports research, development, and the advancement of Biotechnology for the opportunity it provides, consumers, processors, and production agriculture, and encourages the education, promotion, registration, and customer acceptance of genetically enhanced wheat worldwide.
• Opposes any mandatory labeling for products made from crops that are enhanced through the use of biotechnology.
• Encourages U.S. Wheat Associates and NAWG to apply for Market Access Program funding for biotech education of wheat buyers.
• Supports Syngenta’s new fusarium head blight resistant spring wheat technology, and NDGGA encourages Syngenta to launch its fusarium head blight resistant spring wheat into the marketplace as soon as possible.

Montana Grain Growers Association
Complete resolutions online  www.mgga.org/mgga/res.html

The Montana Grain Growers Association…

• Supports no less than 2002 Farm Bill funding.
• Supports NAWG’s proposed resolution regarding a target price of $5.29 and a direct payment of $1.19 per bushel of wheat.
• Supports indexing payment limits to an annual FAPRI cost of production index.
• Supports an inverted premium subsidy system that provides higher subsidies at the higher coverage levels.
• Supports implementation of adjustment yield losses of 90% or more to be paid at 100% for all crop insurance.
• Recommends that prevented planting be a separate option with its own premium.
• Supports research aimed at improving and increasing the end uses of Montana wheat and barley, including research utilizing ag biotechnology.
• Supports NAWG’s expansion into biomass advocacy.