In This Issue:

  • NBGA Winter Meeting to be Virtual Only
  • New Industry Associate Dues Structure Approved
  • Field to Market Releases Update to Sustainability Indicators Report for Barley (12/7)
  • Congress Concludes Work for the Year
NBGA Winter Meeting to be VIRTUAL ONLY

The NBGA Board Meeting will be virtual only via Zoom on
Tuesday, February 8th starting at 12:00 Eastern/9:00 Pacific. 

We will get a meeting agenda out to you by the end of next week and will ask for your review and input on priorities and business items in advance of the meeting so that we can take action and move to decisions during our abbreviated board meeting session. 
 
We encourage states to schedule virtual meetings with congressional offices on February 9th or any date after to update them on the NBGA priorities for 2022 (as approved during the board meeting). If you would like NBGA staff to join you in any of those meetings, you can let us know as those are scheduled and we will be glad to join.
 
We plan to keep the Zoom Board meeting to 2 or 3 hours on February 8th (one day only). If needed, additional board sessions may be scheduled between the February meeting and the June summer meeting. We fully expect to hold the June meeting in-person at a location outside of Washington, DC as we typically do. The tentative dates for the June meeting are June 20-22 and exact dates and the location will be discussed and hopefully finalized during the February 8th virtual board meeting. 

Contact belias@gordley.com with questions.
New Industry Associate Dues Structure Approved

By a vote of 18-0, the NBGA board approved the new dues structure for industry associate members. There are no changes to the existing dues for states or Industry Board Members. The changes apply to Associate Members (non-voting) who can attend meetings and serve on committees. The new industry associate member dues structure:

Tier 1 – companies with more than $5 million in gross revenues contribute at least $5,000 annual dues

Tier 2 – companies with $1million to $5 million in gross revenues contribute at least $2,500 annual dues

Tier 3 – companies with less than $1million in gross revenues contribute at least $500 annual dues
Field to Market Releases Update to
Sustainability Indicators Report for Barley (12/7)

Field to Market recently released their updated National Indicators Report that analyzes sustainability trends from 1980-2020 at the national scale for 11 commodity crops, including barley. Released every five years since 2009, the fourth edition of this peer-reviewed report analyzes trends over time in sustainability performance for U.S. commodity crop systems, providing a critical assessment of where U.S. agriculture has made progress in driving improved environmental outcomes, and where additional efforts are needed to advance industry-wide sustainability goals. You can view the factsheet here to see key findings from the report for barley, identifying trends in Land Use, Irrigation Water Use, Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) and Soil Erosion. The key findings for barley demonstrate clear improvement over time in Land Use, Energy Use, and GHG Emissions associated with barley production. The full report can be found here: National Indicators Report 2021- Field To Market
Congress Concludes Work for the Year

Prior to adjourning for the year, Congress passed another Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government operating at the Fiscal Year 2021 levels through February 18, 2022. It is hoped that new FY2022 appropriations bills, including increases for barley research programs, can be passed rather than defaulting to a CR for the entire year. The Build Back Better bill which Democrats were hoping to enact remained stalled and did not get a vote in the Senate. The package passed by the House included $28 billion in ag conservation funding and $2 billion in ag research funding. 
National Barley Growers Association
(202) 548-0734
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