Farm Programs and Economics

1.          NDGGA supports efforts by USDA to maintain separate wheat marketing loan rates by class of wheat. 

2.          NDGGA supports a permanent LDP payment limitation of not less than $150,000 per producer annually.   

3.          NDGGA urges USDA to allow producers to fix LDP price up to 60 days prior to harvest.   

4.          NDGGA urges USDA (CCC) to carefully watch posted county prices and adjust them in a timely manner when needed due to local market conditions.  

5.          NDGGA opposes taking limited funds from the commodity title of the farm bill to create a permanent disaster section in the new farm bill.   

6.          NDGGA supports requiring the conservation section of the new farm bill to fund a wildlife support payment based on tillable acres.  Payment would offset damages due to the increase in wildlife caused by the goal of current conservation legislation to increase wildlife. 

7.          NDGGA supports having a 3 year limitation from the date of notification on NRCS and FSA violations.  

8.          NDGGA supports the enactment of reasonable penalties in the event of a FSA or NRCS violation.  

9.          NDGGA opposes any payment limitations in the Farm Bill. 

Conservation and Environment

1.         NDGGA opposes the prioritizing of the most productive farmland highest in CRP contracts, and urges the USDA to focus the program on Highly Erodible Land as was initially intended of the program.   

2.         NDGGA recommends that the maximum CRP rental rates be not greater than the average rental rate in the county.   

3.         NDGGA demands that the NRCS and Corp. of Engineers create farmer friendly tools to allow for minimal effects and mitigation of wetlands.   

4.         NDGGA demands that Natural Resources Conservation Service furnish their wetland maps to farmers that specifically define all wetlands.    

5.         NDGGA is against mandatory wetland buffer strips or zones around designated wetland for any purpose.  

6.         NDGGA demands that any governmental agencies inform and allow the landowner to accompany the inspection before they assess, certify, or delineate the characteristics of his land. The landowner must be notified of a forthcoming survey of his land and be given sufficient opportunity to accompany the officials’ inspection.   

7.         The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports legislation on a state and national level that would close all access to private lands without landowner permission.   

8.         The managed haying and grazing provisions of CRP should revert back to the same provisions that were applicable prior to the National Wildlife Federation lawsuit settlement. This would allow managed haying and grazing once every three years on up to 100 percent of the field.   

9.         NDGGA opposes the deletion of the term “navigable waters” in the Clean Water Act. 

10.      NDGGA supports policy whereby the NRCS must use actual dated maps and must use a third party soils entity in NRCS related violation cases.   

11.      NDGGA opposes the requirement of pesticide applicators having to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit when applying pesticides on or near water.   

12.      NDGGA opposes undue regulatory efforts by EPA.  

13.      The North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports tiling as a method of orderly water management; further NDGGA will work on issues related to tiling and orderly water management.  

14.      NDGGA supports that CRP is under the same regulations as cropland for the purposes of water management.  

15.   NDGGA supports the updating of EPA risk assumptions used in formulating EPA risk assessments. 

Trade

1.            NDGGA demands US Trade negotiators protect our right to strong domestic farm policy and opposes such policy being negotiated away to benefit other sectors of the US economy.   

2.     NDGGA opposes the use of unilateral trade sanctions or embargoes of food and/or food products due to the negative impact on US producers. All current sanctions should be subject to economic analysis and review.   

3.     NDGGA urges the US Trade Representative and the Commerce Department to investigate the impact that trading countries’ currency values have on trade agreements.   

4.     NDGGA urges the Administration to continue to monitor foreign subsidy levels to ensure that they remain equitable and to utilize EEP and other export programs like PL480, GSM 102 and 103 to whatever level necessary to move our production and to maintain our markets.   

5.     NDGGA urges close monitoring of the North American Free Trade Agreement progress by NAWG, NBGA, U.S. Grains Council and U.S. Wheat Associates to ensure that northern grown wheat, durum and barley have fair access to that market.   

6.     NDGGA promotes market and government policies, such as FMD and MAP, for selling North Dakota wheat and barley and their products around the world.   

7.     NDGGA supports the elimination of state trading enterprises and export subsides.   

8.     NDGGA supports no reduction in domestic support policies until Europe takes steps to reduce theirs.   

9.     NDGGA supports no reduction in US agricultural tariffs until other countries make significant reductions.  Export credits are not export subsidies and should be maintained along with US Food Aid Programs.

Risk Management / Marketing / Futures

1.     NDGGA encourages RMA to develop realistic quality adjustment tables that reflect actual market place discounts and encourages RMA to use grower organizations input in making these adjustments.   

2.     NDGGA opposes the creation of an “equivalent bushels” criterion, whereby grain would be priced on a dry matter or fixed moisture basis.   

3.     NDGGA supports the continuation of a viable federal crop insurance program addressing continuation of Prevented Plant option; APH is not affected by reported prevented plant acres; and 85% payment level, at an affordable rate.   

4.     NDGGA supports the concept of offering a whole farm, by crop, insurance program at levels of 90% of proven MPCI yields per farm.    

5.     NDGGA opposes inserting any yield figure for APH purposes into prevented plant acreage.   

6.     NDGGA supports the position of NBGA on the continuation of option B and related risk management for Barley. 

7.     NDGGA supports the new malting barley crop insurance product which has been submitted  to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation by the North Dakota Barley Council. 

8.     NDGGA supports development of a simplified crop insurance coverage that takes into account variable costs of production for producers.   

9.     NDGGA supports speedy implementation and use of the new 508h regulations.  

10.    NDGGA supports equal treatment of beginning farmers in regards to USDA-RMA regulations.   

11.   Be it resolved that NDGGA supports the indexing of crop insurance audit triggers; such indexing would allow for the same audit protection of the crop insurance system and would more accurately reflect audit needs in the prevailing crop insurance market.   

12.   Be it resolved that NDGGA supports at least partial payment of crop insurance claims by crop insurance companies on claims subject to audit; such payment would help alleviate producer cash flow problems caused by untimely settlement of claims that are subject to audit.    

13.   Be it resolved that NDGGA supports changes in RMA audit provisions when a producer exceeds a 150 percent production fluctuation.    

14.   Be it resolved that NDGGA supports holding interest in abeyance on crop insurance premiums due by producers on unsettled claims that are subjected to audit.   

15.   Be it resolved that NDGGA supports limiting crop insurance audits to the specific year in question; should irregularities arise in the audit year, subsequent years should be subject to inspection.    

16.   Be it resolved that NDGGA supports production history be calculated and included in a producer’s actual production history when that producer experiences a mechanical fire.  

17.   NDGGA supports an Actual Revenue History crop insurance product for malting barley. 

Research/Grain Quality

1.            NDGGA will continue to urge lawmakers to fully fund all state and federal research and crop breeding programs to enhance wheat and barley production.  

2.     NDGGA will support the empowerment of the PSC towards equitable grain sampling, DON testing standards, and falling numbers.    

3.     NDGGA will actively pursue research funding for a genome mapping of wheat and barley.   

4.     NDGGA supports origin-based grain grading on all U.S. domestic shipments.  

5.     NDGGA will work for full accountability of NDSU Research Foundation expenditure of Research Funds used for administrative purposes.   

6.     We support research and incentives to form alliances with and between industrial users and other crop associations. e.g.: Corn and bean associations; for the discovery of alternative uses for wheat and barley and components and by products thereof.   

7.     NDGGA supports legislation and incentives to enable ethanol research, information, development and production.   

8.     Recognizing that quality grain has great potential for market growth and price potential, NDGGA urges the NDSU Experiment Station and NDSURF to develop a unified selection criterion placing quality and yield as top priorities in their breeding programs and future releases.   

9.     NDGGA supports the use of 100% of monies collected under NDSU or NDSURF licensed barley and wheat varieties be used to enhance the breeding and disease research for wheat and barley varieties.   

10.   NDGGA supports an increase in the investment in, and research of, biotechnology enhanced wheat and barley products at NDSU.   

11.   NDGGA supports the full completion of the greenhouse facility at NDSU.   

12.   The NDGGA supports legislation that would ensure confidentiality needed for universities to form partnerships with private companies.    

13.   NDGGA supports funding for wheat stem sawfly and wheat stem maggot research as well as other pest research. 

Crop Protection

1.     NDGGA supports the efforts of the North Dakota Crop Protection and Harmonization Board to correct the disparities in price and availability of products across state and international borders.   

2.     NDGGA shall urge the EPA to speed the process of crop protection registrations.   

3.     NDGGA urges the EPA to continue granting minor use registration for chemicals applied to minor use crops.   

4.     NDGGA supports the efforts of the NAFTA TWG Subcommittee on Pesticide Harmonization to promote pesticide harmonization between Canada and the United States.  Further, NDGGA supports efforts to share crop protection registration data between Canada and the United States in order to reduce the time and expense of product registration.    

5.     Since Agro-terrorism and food security have the potential for devastating impact on commodity sales and markets, NDGGA will take a leadership role in developing policy that protects our national security, food supply and growers from this threat both from domestic and imported sources. 

Communications/Public Relations

1.     NDGGA will work to promote a positive public image of farmers and agriculture.

2.     NDGGA will develop better communications with the other segments of the wheat and barley value chain, in order to better form alliances to work on issues of common interest.  

3.     NDGGA is committed to provide the education and awareness of marketing tools and market information through social media and the NDGGA.com website.

Transportation/Farm Safety

1.     NDGGA supports strong educational and informational programs to encourage safe use of farm equipment and crop protection products. We urge the equipment and supply industry to continue to improve their products to provide a safer farm-working environment. 

2.     NDGGA supports increasing the distance enabled under the reciprocity agreements on commodities transported between North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana from 20 to 150 miles for farm trucks.   

3.     NDGGA supports nondiscriminatory geographical rates and consistent, timely service for all grain shippers of all sizes.   

4.     NDGGA supports changing IRS restrictions for farm trucks from 7500 miles to 20,000 miles.  

5.     NDGGA resolves to work on transportation issues on the state and national levels. 

6.     NDGGA opposes allowing law enforcement to obtain truck weight information from grain facilities.  

7.     NDGGA supports the continuation of truck overweight fines going to the state.

Ag Credit/Taxes

1.     NDGGA urges Congress to make permanent the total elimination of estate taxes.   

2.     NDGGA opposes the taxation of farm and livestock buildings and the Legislature shall index upwards the amount of off-farm income allowable to qualify for the exemptions.  

3.     NDGGA urges Ag lenders to create attainable credentials for beginning farmer loan  
programs. 

4.     NDGGA will fight for state legislation where urban and agricultural lands are given equal percentage reduction in any property tax relief legislation.  

5.     NDGGA supports the concept of shifting a considerable percentage of the real estate tax onto the mineral right owner with the surface owner having first option to redeem them should the tax on the mineral rights fall into delinquency. 

Other

1.    NDGGA supports efforts to find efficiencies in the operation of the national wheat organizations.   

2.    NDGGA supports the expanded domestic production of oil and natural gas and expanded development of renewable energy sources.    

3.     NDGGA supports the wheat industry working together in the most efficient manner possible to enhance the common well-being of the wheat industry.    

4.     NDGGA supports new and additional value-added opportunities for the wheat and barley industries which will be beneficial for producer participation.  

5.     NDGGA is dissatisfied with wheat’s treatment at the Commodity Classic; NDGGA urges that NAWG look at all options in conducting the NAWG Annual Meeting/Convention.   

6.     NDGGA supports the elimination of “violator hotlines”; producers should have the right to know who their accusers are and what alleged violation has occurred. 

7.     NDGGA supports the consolidation of FSA and NRCS offices and to move towards more electronic options.  

8.     NDGGA supports current U.S. Department of Labor regulations impacting labor on farms.

Technology

1.     NDGGA supports research, development, and the advancement of Biotechnology for the opportunity it provides, consumers, processors, and production agriculture, and encourages the education, promotion, registration, and customer acceptance of genetically enhanced wheat worldwide.    

2.     NDGGA opposes any mandatory labeling for products made from crops that are enhanced through the use of biotechnology.    

3.     NDGGA is opposed to a moratorium on the research and development of Biotech crops.    

4.     NDGGA supports the use of sound science in making decisions regarding new technologies. 

5.     NDGGA encourages U.S. Wheat Associates and NAWG to apply for Market Access Program funding for biotech education of wheat buyers.   

6.     NDGGA supports Syngenta’s new fusarium head blight resistant spring wheat technology and NDGGA encourages Syngenta to launch its fusarium head blight resistant spring wheat into the marketplace as soon as possible. 

7.    NDGGA supports protection of GPS signals from interfering sources.

Be it resolved that the North Dakota Grain Growers Association supports an effort by Congress to develop comprehensive energy legislation that:  

  • Promotes innovations and technologies that make present fuel sources more efficient and environmentally friendly 

  • Reduce United States dependence on foreign energy  

  • Is cost effective for energy consumers and producers 

  • Promote alternative fuel sources 

  • Is phased in as new technologies become available in a cost-effective manner 

  • Has world-wide buy-in and acceptance, especially from China and India 

  • Takes into account the agricultural sector’s energy dependence so that negative impacts and unintended consequences to agriculture are minimized as much as possible 

  • Takes into account the overall effect on the United States economy as to minimize potential negative impacts and unintended consequences 

   • Protects the environment in a reasonable and responsible manner 

Be it further resolved that the North Dakota Grain Growers Association opposes the Waxman-Markey Climate legislation and other current climate change proposals now under consideration because they: 

  • Have a severe adverse impact on the United States economy 

  • Will have little or no positive impact on the world’s climate 

  • Do not have world-wide buy-in and support, especially from China and India 

  • Are not well thought out or well planned 

  • Negatively impact agricultural production costs 

  • Provide little or no agricultural economic benefits 

  • Will skyrocket food costs worldwide making food unaffordable  

North Dakota Grain Growers Association - BIOTECHNOLOGY POSITION STATEMENT

Biotechnological research holds great promise for the future, and the U.S. wheat industry recognizes these advancements. In preparation for the future commercialization of biotechnologically-derived wheat, we take the following positions  

    1.  We support and will work to ensure the ability of wheat producers to make planting and marketing choices based on economic, agronomic, and market factors.   

    2.  We commit ourselves to the principle that our customers’ needs are a very important consideration. We support the ability of our wheat customers to make purchases on the basis of specific traits.   

    3.  We support servicing newly emerging market segments for wheat through utilization of market developed and demand driven segregation systems.   

    4.  We urge the adoption of a nationally and internationally accepted definition of biotechnologically-derived products. We also urge international harmonization of scientific standards and trade rules.   

    5.  We support voluntary labeling of food products, provided it is consistent with U.S. law and international trade agreements and is truthful and not misleading. We oppose government-mandated labeling of wheat products in both the U.S. and international markets based upon the presence or absence of biotechnologically-derived traits that do not differ significantly from their conventional counterpart.   

    6.  We support the establishment of a reasonable threshold level for adventitious or accidental inclusion of biotechnologically-derived traits in bulk wheat or wheat food products in both U.S. and international markets.   

    7.  We are confident that biotechnology will deliver significant consumer and producer benefits. We support continued biotechnology research, and product and market development. We invite valued and interested customers to join with us in a working partnership to explore the emerging biotechnology industry.  

U.S. Wheat Industry Definition: - Biotechnologically Derived (Genetically Modified Organisms)*

Genetically modified organisms (commonly referred to as “transgenic”) are organisms derived from somatic cell fusion or direct insertion of a gene construct, typically but not necessarily from a sexually-incompatible species, using recombinant DNA techniques and any genetic transformation technology (e.g., bacterial vectors, particle bombardment, electroporation).”