Good morning, NAWG!
I spent part of last week in San Antonio at the North American Millers’ Association meeting, representing growers’ concerns. Millers are customers and partners, and they should hear directly from us what it costs to grow the wheat that goes into their mills. I appreciated the candid conversations about on-farm economics, and I’m grateful for the chance to make the growers’ case while also discussing our shared concerns regarding inaccurate rhetoric and misinformation in the food and nutrition space.
Back in DC, this week, it’ll be awfully quiet. Both chambers are home to campaign and aren’t due back until November 9th, six days after the election. The Capitol feels like the Phillies’ ballpark during this year’s National League playoffs (my Phillies choked again, for those who don’t follow baseball).
The quiet, however, doesn’t reach farm country. Congress’s third farm bill extension expired September 30th. Program funding carries through year’s end, but once Members return in November, only five working weeks remain before the new Congress takes over in January.
The sticking point isn’t wheat, crop insurance, or anything else on a farm. It’s the timing of SNAP cost-sharing for states, and the gap is one year versus two. I’ve watched both sides explain why it’s the other side’s fault, and some of those explanations came with a suggestion that voters should punish the other party. I understand the instinct, but a lawmaker’s job is to govern.
Then there’s diesel, which is averaging around $6.37 a gallon as winter wheat goes into the ground. Last week the administration went from saying it had called for a diesel export ban to saying it was never going to do one, in about ten days. Meanwhile, the G7 agreed to release emergency stockpiles, which should offer some short-term relief, but nobody on a tractor is celebrating yet.
Whatever happens on November 3rd, the voters will have spoken, the campaign noise will fade, and Congress will face the same unfinished work. That’s reason enough for the lame duck to bring urgency and common ground. NAWG will be pressing Congress to finish the farm bill, find agreement on emergency economic assistance for growers hit by the input cost crisis, and address the underlying causes of the unnecessary spike in fuel, fertilizer, repair parts, and credit.
SK
================
From The Foundation
Last Call: nominations for the National Wheat Foundation Board are due this Friday, October 9th. Please submit your name and a brief resume in writing to Boyd Heilig, NWF nomination committee chair (heiligb18@gmail.com), and/or Anne Osborne, NWF Executive Director (aosborne@wheatworld.org). Terms are three years, with a maximum of two terms, and new directors begin in March 2027 following Commodity Classic.
DC Week Ahead
Congress is in pre-election recess — the House and Senate return November 9 — so no committee hearings or meetings are scheduled this week. House members can return on 48 hours’ notice if needed.
Policy Report
States sue over Corteva’s Vylor Spinoff
A coalition of 15 states and Guam, led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, sued Corteva and its newly spun-off seed and genetics company, Vylor, in Marion County court on October 1, alleging the companies improperly transferred billions of dollars in assets while leaving PFAS liabilities behind. The lawsuit seeks to freeze assets transferred to Vylor and block certain dividends, stock buybacks, and sales of the newly spun-off seed assets. The suit follows a failed federal bid last month, when about 20 states and nine cities sought a restraining order in South Carolina federal court; the spinoff was completed October 1 as planned, with Vylor headquartered in Johnston, Iowa.
Indiana allows farmers to use tax-exempt diesel on highways
Indiana farmers will temporarily be allowed to use tax-exempt, red-dyed diesel on highways to transport crops during harvest, as fuel prices remain elevated. Governor Mike Braun’s September 30 order permits the use of farm diesel for hauling corn and soybeans between October 6 and November 4 — on state roads only, as federal law still bars dyed diesel on interstates and U.S. highways. The relief, worth roughly 60–70 cents per gallon, was welcomed, but farmers are urging the state to extend the exemption through the full harvest season. At least nine states have taken similar fuel-cost actions in the past week, and Iowa corn growers are calling for a national waiver.
Farm Bill Update
Chairman Boozman says the weeks ahead could be critical for completing a new five-year farm bill, urging lawmakers to begin bipartisan negotiations during the October recess rather than waiting until after the November 3 midterm elections. The central disagreement remains SNAP: Democrats want a two-year delay of state benefit cost-sharing, while Boozman calls his one-year delay “final and best.” With the 2018 extension expired on September 30, the lame-duck window through December 18 is the next real opportunity — potentially attached to a must-pass vehicle. Senator Grassley added election pressure this week, saying Democrats should “pay at the ballot box” for obstructing the bill. NAWG continues to press for a comprehensive five-year bill plus near-term economic assistance.
WOTUS supplemental proposal — comments due October 9
EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a supplemental proposal on September 9 that would narrow the “Waters of the United States” definition, replacing the “wet season” standard with a stricter perennial-flow requirement consistent with Sackett v. EPA. Comments are due Friday, October 9. This is a priority for the Environment and Renewable Resources Committee — members with an interest around that specific change, should plan to weigh in this week.
REAP final rule takes effect October 16; lawsuit filed over solar exclusion
USDA’s REAP final rule takes effect October 16, barring ground-mounted solar on farmland, with comments due around October 31. Separately, the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Earthjustice sued USDA on September 28 challenging the anti-solar eligibility criteria and their retroactive application to already-selected projects. Growers with on-farm energy plans should note both the effective date and the comment deadline.
USDA reorganization paused; ARC/PLC enrollment open
A federal judge extended the stay on USDA’s reorganization through October 13, with proposed injunction filings due October 7. Meanwhile, 2026 ARC/PLC enrollment is open through December 11 — and 2025 PLC payments for wheat, at a final rate of $1.29 per bushel, are going out this month. (Separately, comments on the Forest Service’s Roadless Rule rescission are due tomorrow, October 6.)