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Proposed Budget Would Cut Funding for Wheat Growers

Photo courtesy of Clare Black via Flickr

President Trump’s budget proposal cuts money to agricultural programs that northwest wheat growers say are essential to overseas sales.

As much as 90 percent of Washington states wheat crop is exported to other nations. While the sale price was enough to make a good profit just a couple years ago, growers this year are seeing prices about a dollar below the break-even point for them, about 5 dollars a bushel.

Now, the new Trump administration budget proposal is calling for major cuts to agriculture programs. Among those on the chopping block, the Foreign Marketing Development program, and the Market Access Program, which help fund promotions for overseas sales.

The executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Michelle Hennings fears the timing is extremely bad for such an idea. Henning said, “For Washington State, 90 percent of our wheat is exported, so what happens is this MAP and FMD funding allow for them to do that, and the proposal is to zero out that funding. We especially rely heavily on trade in the Pacific Northwest and this would be devastating with a significant negative impact on the northwest wheat farmers.”

Hennings understands the need to reign in government spending, but says growers have already been suffering under previous budget cuts. She said, “But in the last farm bill, farmers already took a significant cut in the 2014 farm bill, and we were also sequestered on what we did have by seven percent, so we did help the budget in the last farm bill.

Hennings says northwest awmakers, including Republican house members Cathy McMorris Rodgers and  \Dan Newhouse  and Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray plan to fight the proposed cuts.

President Trump’s budget proposal cuts money to agricultural programs that northwest wheat growers say are essential to overseas sales.

Steve Jackson reports:

As much as 90 percent of Washington states wheat crop is exported to other nations. While the sale price was enough to make a good profit just a couple years ago, growers this year are seeing prices about a dollar below the break-even point for them, about 5 dollars a bushel.

Now, the new Trump administration budget proposal is calling for major cuts to agriculture programs. Among those on the chopping block, the Foreign Marketing Development program, and the Market Access Program, which help fund promotions for overseas sales.

The executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Michelle Hennings fears the timing is extremely bad for such an idea. Henning said, “For Washington State, 90 percent of our wheat is exported, so what happens is this MAP and FMD funding allow for them to do that, and the proposal is to zero out that funding. We especially rely heavily on trade in the Pacific Northwest and this would be devastating with a significant negative impact on the northwest wheat farmers.”

Hennings understands the need to reign in government spending, but says growers have already been suffering under previous budget cuts. She said, “But in the last farm bill, farmers already took a significant cut in the 2014 farm bill, and we were also sequestered on what we did have by seven percent, so we did help the budget in the last farm bill.

Hennings says northwest awmakers, including Republican house members Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dan Newhouse, and Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray plan to fight the proposed cuts.

Steve was part of the Spokane Public Radio family for many years before he came on air in 1999. His wife, Laurie, produced Radio Ethiopia in the late 1980s through the '90s, and Steve used to “lurk in the shadowy world” of Weekend SPR. Steve has done various on air shifts at the station, including nearly 15 years as the local Morning Edition host. Currently, he is the voice of local weather and news during All Things Considerd, writing, editing, producing and/or delivering newscasts and features for both KPBX and KSFC. Aside from SPR, Steve ,who lives in the country, enjoys gardening, chickens, playing and listening to music, astronomy, photography, sports cars and camping.