IDAHO WHEAT COMMISSION

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USAID contributes $68 million to buy Ukrainian wheat

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on Aug. 16 that it is contributing $68 million to the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) to purchase, ship and store up to 150,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat to help address the world food crisis. USAID, in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Minderoo Foundation, supported the first humanitarian grain shipment to leave the Black Sea via Ukraine’s Yuzhny Port on Aug. 16. The shipment will support the humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa where a historic drought is pushing millions of people to the brink of starvation.

Editor's Note: Why is USAID purchasing wheat from Ukraine rather than the U.S.?  The short answer: logistics.  The majority of USAID humanitarian grain shipments are delivered to countries in the Middle East and northern Africa.  Transportation is generally cost-prohibitive from the U.S. to those regions of the world.  Therefore, wheat is purchased from suppliers closer to the destination of the food aid grain, which is often Ukraine.

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April 22, 2025
Probing our Country’s Soil Health
A reminder that there is a new nation-wide project called “Probing Our Country’s Soil Health”. It is being funded by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). A major goal of the project is to build a national soil health database and new and improved tools for benchmarking and interpreting soil health metrics. The anonymous data will be used to expand a new and exciting tool called the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (or SHAPE). This tool helps provide better references for farmers seeking to understand and build soil health. Idaho growers are encouraged to join this important initiative to help shape the future of soil health practices across the nation. More information can be found here!
April 22, 2025
FDA’s New Definitions of ‘Healthy’ Foods Takes Effect Soon - Here’s What you Need to Know
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U.S. Considers Adjusting Port Fee Plan for Chinese Vessels After Pushback
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USDA Scientist Asks Bigger Weed Questions
USDA research weed scientist Olivia Landau is asking big questions about the future of weed management in wheat farming. As part of the Pacific Northwest Herbicide Resistance Initiative, Landau focuses on identifying herbicide-resistant weed populations and exploring innovative approaches to manage them. As growers face increasing herbicide resistance, Landau encourages them to reach out and share field observations that might inform her research. She’s committed to making complex scientific information clear and accessible, helping the region’s farmers find sustainable, forward-looking solutions to weed management.
April 22, 2025
USDA Terminates University of Idaho Grant to Help Farmers
The University of Idaho’s largest grant, nearly $59 million from the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) program, was terminated due to new USDA criteria requiring 65% of funds go directly to producers. The original proposal had over 50% allocated for producer payments, with the remainder for technical and marketing support. The university had already begun enrolling producers and offering support to help them adopt sustainable practices. The USDA is relaunching the program as the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Initiative, and U of I plans to revise and resubmit its proposal.