In This Issue:

• NBGA Meeting in Washington, DC
• Budget Baseline for Farm Bill Released
• NBGA Representatives Attend US Grains Council Meeting
• NBGA Submits Comments on Endangered Species Act Updates

NBGA Meeting in Washington, DC

In addition to all of the meetings that board members had with their congressional offices, NBGA leadership met with U.S. Grains Council CEO Ryan LeGrand to discuss trade issues and met with the National Association of Wheat Growers to discuss priorities and common interests in the upcoming Farm Bill. During the board meeting, senior staff from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees provided a panel discussion and their outlook on the Farm Bill reauthorization. Other highlights from the board meeting included updates from Brian Crawford, the new CEO of the Beer Institute and Dana Brooks, CEO of the Pet Food Institute. In conjunction with the Beer Institute, NBGA also renewed the Barley, Boots and Brews reception on Capitol Hill. This year the event was held at the Hawk‘n’Dove, a long-standing spot for Capitol Hill staff and Members of Congress. 

Budget Baseline for Farm Bill Released

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its baseline funding guidance for the 2023 farm bill on February 15^th. The report lays out the budget baseline for the farm bill under current policy. It is a key component that provides lawmakers with an estimate of how much money they have to work with in drafting a new farm bill if they’re going to stay within the budget baseline. The factors used to estimate program costs include projections of the price, yield, and program acres for each commodity. The baseline projects Farm Bill spending between 2024-2033 to total $1.5 trillion, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accounting for $1.2 trillion – or 82% - of the total, while crop insurance is 7% and commodity and conservation programs are 4% each. Approximately $50 billion is projected to be paid out under the ARC, PLC, and Dairy programs and $578 million – or 1% of that amount – is expected to be paid out for barley.  

NBGA Representatives Attend US Grains Council Meeting

NBGA staff, board members, and state barley staff attended the US Grains Council meeting in Savannah, GA February 13-15. The barley sector meeting included an update on the markets in Mexico, Japan, and Korea as well as discussion of the dynamics of the China-Australia relationship and its impact on trade flows, the emergence of barley use in pet food and the increasing U.S. exports of pet food. 

NBGA Submits Comments on Endangered Species Act Updates

NBGA submitted comments to EPA on their Endangered Species Act (ESA) Workplan Update. The Workplan is quite complex, covering numerous issues – navigating their website to obtain bulletins that will be an addendum to the pesticides label, spray drift, run-off, seed treatments, etc. – and was posted to the federal register for comment right before Thanksgiving with a closing date of Jan 30. Following complaints, EPA gave a 15-day extension to the comment period. The NBGA comments can be viewed here.