Continue reading »]]> ARLINGTON, Virginia — The U.S. wheat industry congratulates the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as it celebrates its 150th anniversary on Tuesday.

On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture. Five days later, he signed the Homestead Act, which opened up western lands to settlement, including much of today’s wheat production region. Later that summer, Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, establishing the system of “land grant” universities that are still vital to wheat and other agricultural research.

Today, USDA handles a diverse portfolio administering nutrition, risk management, conservation and trade promotion programs as well as food inspection and safety services and vital public research on crops including wheat.

“The original vision for USDA, the Homestead Act and the Morrill Act was to help America’s farmers and ranchers provide a safe, ample food supply for our nation and the world,” said Erik Younggren, a wheat farmer from Hallock, MN, and president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). “Agriculture has changed a lot since the 1800s, and yet USDA remains vital to our farms, our nation’s lands, our nation’s food security and safety and our economy.”

Since 1860, the percentage of the population working in agriculture has declined from about 48 percent to just seven-tenths of a percent of all Americans. This makes the farmers who remain on the land — and the innovations they have incorporated into their operations to make them more efficient — vitally important to the nation and the world.

“From its support for research and export market development to inspecting our food and helping maintain a safety net for farmers, USDA has had a positive and lasting impact on the wheat industry, American agriculture and the lives of every American,” said Randy Suess, a wheat farmer from Colfax, WA, and chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates.

In this anniversary year, the wheat industry encourages farmers and consumers to learn more about USDA’s contributions to the strength of our nation and to see how the agency can continue to partner with Americans working to provide better lives for their families.

To read and see more from USDA about its 150th anniversary, visit www.usda.gov/usda150.

Visit http://www.wheatworld.org/news-events/2012/05/10-ways-to-celebrate-usdas-150th-anniversary-on-tuesday/ to learn more ways to celebrate the milestone, or search #usda150 on Twitter for the latest anniversary news.

USW is the industry’s market development organization working in more than 100 countries. Its mission is to “develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance the profitability of U.S. wheat producers.” The activities of USW are made possible by producer checkoff dollars managed by 19 state wheat commissions and through cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit www.uswheat.org or contact your state wheat commission.

Continue reading »]]> In a huge victory for U.S. wheat farmers, the United States and Colombia officially implemented on Tuesday a free trade agreement (FTA) first signed in 2006.

The pact immediately eliminates all tariffs on U.S. wheat imports to Colombia and ends a significant tariff disadvantage U.S. farmers have faced compared to Canadian and Argentine wheat imports there.

“This is a very good day for wheat farmers,” said Randy Suess, a wheat farmer from Colfax, Wash., and chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates (USW). “The tariff situation has basically forced our largest customer, historically, in South America to buy more wheat from Canada and Argentina. Now our customers in Colombia will not have to pay the tariff, and we can compete equally on the basis of quality, supply and service.”

Implementing this FTA is particularly important to U.S. wheat farmers, who rely on exports to market about half of their crops each year. In marketing year 2010/2011, Colombia imported from Gulf and Pacific Northwest tributaries about 800,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat from five of six classes. However, U.S. wheat sales for this marketing year are down about 45 percent year on year, mainly due to the Canada-Colombia FTA that went into effect on Aug. 15, 2011. Wheat imported from Argentina has also enjoyed duty-free status under the South American Mercosur trade agreement.

“A lot of people have joined us in working hard to get the U.S.-Colombia agreement approved by Congress, signed by the President and now implemented,” said Erik Younggren, a wheat farmer from Hallock, Minn., and president of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). “While the process of removing our trade barriers with Colombia has been a long one, we are eager to get this market back on track.”

The U.S. wheat industry believes this agreement, along with the recently implemented FTA with South Korea and a pending FTA with Panama, will help the United States rebuild and expand markets, grow our economy at home and maintain the status of the United States as the most reliable supplier of wheat in the world.

The industry appreciates the hard work and support of Colombian flour millers and government officials throughout the process, as well as the efforts of trade supporters in Congress and the Bush and Obama Administrations.

More about trade issues of importance to wheat growers is at http://www.wheatworld.org/issues/trade/ or http://www.uswheat.org/whatWeDo/tradePolicy.

Continue reading »]]>

The OWGL has partnered with Mutual of Omaha to provide a disability insurance offering for it’s Members!

• For Individuals: Receive a 15% discount as a OWGL Member
• Business Owners: Receive 15% discount and may also qualify for an additional 10% in benefit level at no additional cost as OWGL Member! (upgrade requires 20% ownership and $32,000 net income for past 2 years)
• For Small Employers with employees: Receive a 15% discount on employer group -  May qualify for simplified questions on appliciations; Business Owner may qualify for an upgrade in disability class upgrade (average savings 23%)
• Business Overhead Expense Plans to cover employee wages, utilities, business loans and general costs of running the business month to month.

Call Mark Rogers, Associate OWGL Member, for more information at 541-392-4963 or click here to submit your information online: http://www.mutualofomaha.com/am/owgl/

Continue reading »]]> Aug. 8, 2011

BrownfieldAgNews reports:

Not sure where it started, but John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation wants to be clear, anything you’ve heard or read about a commercial driver’s license going to be required for farm equipment is not true. 

“Let me say this as bluntly as I can to the agricultural community, there is no new regulation coming down the pike requiring commercial driver’s licenses for operators of farm equipment,” said Porcari.

“There’s not any regulatory requirement coming down the road, it is a rumor that has kind of taken off on its own, I’d like to put that to rest.”

The Deputy Secretary told Brownfield what they have been doing is listen to the needs of the agricultural community, answer questions and make sure they are geared up for the future with whatever the future safety requirements are.

Porcari was at the Ohio State Fair on Tuesday, August 2, participating in the White House Rural Roundtable with USDA Under Secretary Edward Avalos.

Continue reading »]]> May 22, 2012 -Oregon Wheat Foundation Golf Scramble, Pendleton Country Club

May 30, 2012- Hyslop Farm Field Day

June 14, 2012 – Oregon Wheat Commission Regular Meeting and Budget Hearing,  Moro, OR

June 19, 2012 – Morrow/Gilliam Golf Scramble, China Creek Golf Course, Arlington

All wheat producers and industry supporters are invited and encouraged to attend OWGL events. RSVP is not required, but appreciated. Watch your mailbox and/or inbox for details and RSVP information.