Australia’s wheat production is likely to be lower than forecast after dry conditions and below-average rainfall in some growing regions. The government trimmed its estimate by 3% from June to 25.4 million tons, putting the crop on track for a 36% decline from the record harvest a year earlier, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. Wheat is a major winter crop in Australia with planting from April and the harvest starting in November.

U.S. wheat prices have dropped to the point that next year’s projected crop insurance price is at or below the cost of production, Northwest market analysts say. Soft white wheat ranged from $6.75 to $7 per bushel on the Portland market. “It’s a game of high-stakes poker,” said Dan Steiner, a grain market analyst in Boardman, Ore. “It’s just a dangerous market, a guy’s got to be careful. It’s not like we’ve got buyers lined up.”The crop insurance price last year was $9.50 per bushel. Farmers with 80% coverage had a guarantee for 80% of that price on an average crop. This year, the projected crop insurance price for next year is $7.93.

Join NAWG’s advocacy campaign to engage with legislators on increasing Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs authorized in the Farm Bill. MAP’s authorized funding has not changed since 2006 and FMD funding has remained the same since 2002. Inflation and sequestration have significantly eroded our ability to compete with other countries who are steadily investing more in their agricultural export promotion efforts. Please visit NAWG’s website to participate in the grassroots efforts to make your voice heard.

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and John Boozman (R-Ark), Ranking Member, are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use its authorities under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act to support opportunities for American farmers. In a letter to the USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Stabenow and Boozman highlighted the need to invest in trade promotion and in-kind international food assistance, both of which support American farmers and producers.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Idaho announces an October 6, 2023, application deadline for Fiscal Year 2024 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects. “Farm Bill programs like EQIP and RCPP allow us to provide financial assistance to Idaho’s farmers, ranchers and private timber producers,” said Curtis Elke, NRCS State Conservationist for Idaho. “However, we also offer technical assistance and conservation planning. So, please get in touch with your local NRCS field office and learn more about what we have to offer.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding $2.1 million in specialty crop block grant program funding in Idaho, the department announced in a press release issued Wednesday. The grant program will provide funding for 16 projects in Idaho that relate to enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops and creating new marketing opportunities for the producers of specialty crops. Projects announced to receive funding relate to bees and pollination, seed quality and health, sustainability and disease management.

A stay in long-running litigation over the Snake River dams has been extended for 60 days to allow federal mediation to continue, but ag and electrical utility stakeholders say they’re losing faith in the process. A coalition of environmental and fishing groups, led by the Earthjustice law firm, in 2020 sued over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration dam operations plan. The White House Council on Environmental Quality and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service are continuing mediation during a stay of the litigation. The stay was scheduled to end Aug. 31, but will now end Oct. 31.