Washington grower on national wheat policy committee
Washington Ag Today March 26, 2010 Washington farmer and President of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers Brett Blankenship, has become the vice-chairman of the National Association of Wheat Growers Domestic and Trade Policy Committee. Blankenship: “Yeah, we are excited to continue northwest representation on the National Wheat Growers Domestic Policy Committee, and I am thrilled to serve incoming chairman Jerry McReynolds from Kansas who made the appointment. Very excited to vice chair that committee and be front and center of the farm bill discussions.” That’s discussions about the 2012 Farm Bill, which the National Association of Wheat Growers is already working on. Blankenship: “The chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson, wants to begin hearings as soon as he can regarding the next farm bill because it took so long to formulate the final farm bill this last time. He wants to get an early run at it. He is anticipating budget problems in the federal fiscal scheme so he figures the sooner he starts talking about farm policy the better.” Blankenship says one thing his growers want to protect in the next farm bill is the direct payment. The national association is surveying growers at the grassroots on what they want in the next farm bill. I’m Bob Hoff and that’ Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network. ?
