Representatives of the Texas Wheat Producers Association (TWPA) met with members of Congress on September 12 and 13 to discuss legislative priorities as part of a fly-in hosted by the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG).
The top priority addressed during the fly-in was the 2023 Farm Bill and a possible timeline for consideration. TWPA representatives also urged members to work with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement the next phase of the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for 2022 losses.
“These meetings with members of Congress allowed us to reiterate our priorities for the farm bill, which include protecting and enhancing crop insurance, increasing the wheat reference price, expanding market development funding and maintaining flexibility in conservation programs,” said Freddie Streit, a farmer from Vernon. “We also stressed the need to release ERP dollars that have been appropriated by Congress but remain stalled at USDA.”
Texas Wheat met with members and staff from eight Texas congressional districts, as well as Senator John Cornyn’s office. They also participated in meetings with the Senate and House Agriculture Committee majority staff and the Senate Agriculture Committee minority staff hosted by NAWG.
“We felt it was important at this stage to meet with the staff of members who sit on the Agriculture committees and the House Committee on Rules,” said Steelee Fischbacher, Texas Wheat Director of Policy. “We believe these conversations will be instrumental in determining the path for eventual reauthorization and ensure our priorities are taken into consideration.”
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