Good day, NAWG!
An asymmetric week on the Hill: the Senate is in session, but the House is back home and isn’t scheduled to return to DC until after the midterm election. That’s a long stretch away from Washington, but it’s not dead time — if anything, it’s an opening.
With Representatives spending the coming weeks in their districts, they’ll be far more available than usual — candidate coffees, county fairs, town halls… the whole circuit. I’d encourage every grower to take advantage of it. This is the moment to catch your Congressional Representative somewhere less chaotic than Capitol Hill, and to press the point directly: input costs are still rampant, fuel and fertilizer chief among them, and farmers need Washington to treat that as the emergency it is. A five-minute conversation at a fair booth can do more than a dozen form letters. Show up, tell your story, and make sure the skyrocketing and unsustainable costs on the farm don’t get lost while the House is out of town.
Meanwhile, the Senate stays at work this week, and NAWG will be here engaging with them, working to find a path forward on the Farm Bill and continuing to press the need for much-needed economic and disaster assistance in response to insane input costs, the effects of tariffs, and an unpredictable Mother Nature.
I also want to offer a gentle reminder: the NAWG Board of Directors will meet Thursday, September 24th at 11am EDT, immediately followed by a convening of the NAWG Nominating Committee. Board Materials are available here. The board meeting zoom link is here.
Thanks, as always, for the work you all do to keep NAWG’s voice loud and clear on the Hill and back home.
-SK
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Call for Nominations for National Wheat Foundation Board
Two of the National Wheat Foundation Directors’ second terms will expire in 2027; Scott Brown (ID) and Jeff Blackwood (industry). We want to thank and recognize Scott and Jeff for their tremendous contributions to the board.
We are calling for anyone interested in serving on the National Wheat Foundation Board to submit your name, in writing, along with a brief resume to Boyd Heilig, NWF nomination committee chair (heiligb18@gmail.com) and/or Anne Osborne, NWF Executive Director (aosborne@wheatworld.org) by October 9th, 2026.
Board terms are three years, and there is a maximum of two terms. The board holds two in-person meetings per year, plus it attends the Commodity Classic and the National Wheat Yield Contest winner’s reception. The term of the newly elected directors will begin in March 2027 immediately following the Commodity Classic.
If you have any questions about the process or the National Wheat Foundation, please contact either Anne or Boyd.
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DC Week Ahead
- On Thursday, September 24, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a nominating hearing at 10:30 AM EST for the nomination of Heidi Overton to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
- You can find more information here.
Policy Report
Thank You for a Successful NAWG Fly-In
Last week’s NAWG Fly-In came at a critical time for the farm bill, and wheat growers made their voices heard across Washington. Members met with lawmakers and policymakers to underscore the urgent need to advance a complete, five-year farm bill and provide greater certainty for producers facing continued economic pressure. Just days later, on September 16, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026 out of committee, moving the bill to the full Senate.
Thank you to all of the growers who traveled to Washington and shared their firsthand experiences. The progress made last week underscores the importance of growers being present and engaged in these conversations, and NAWG will continue pressing Congress to keep the momentum going and move a farm bill across the finish line.
Russia Sanctions and Fertilizer
NAWG is closely tracking potential fertilizer impacts from the recently passed Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (H.R. 5334). While the bill includes an exception for agricultural commodities, fertilizer is not specifically named in the statutory language, and we are beginning to hear concerns about uncertainty in the marketplace, including reports of canceled Russian fertilizer orders. NAWG is working with fertilizer industry experts, other commodity groups, USTR, and Administration officials to better understand how the exemption will be implemented and whether additional clarification is needed. Members who are hearing similar concerns about fertilizer costs, availability, or canceled orders in their states are encouraged to share those examples with NAWG.
Farm Bill Update
Last Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee reconvened its August markup of the farm bill and voted to pass the bill to the Senate floor. The bill passed out of committee along party lines, with no Democratic support, amid an on-going disagreement over changes to SNAP benefit costs faced by some states. It remains uncertain whether the bill will garner enough Democratic support to pass out of the Senate, or whether there is a willingness to renegotiate the SNAP cost-share provision.
Nomination of Heidi Overton
This Thursday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hear from Heidi Overton, President Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA. Overton currently serves as a senior healthcare advisor to Trump and helped lead the MAHA Commission. She has supported efforts to ban certain food dyes, revise the GRAS pathway, and establish a definition for ultra-processed foods.