While in Washington, D.C., Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk talked with the Vice President of Policy and Communications at the National Association of Wheat Growers, Jake Westlin, about 2023 Farm Bill priorities.
Westlin is based in Washington, D.C., where his primary focus is policy. Because it is a farm bill year, Westlin said the 2023 Farm Bill is his main priority during this time.
“Our number one priority within the farm bill is protecting crop insurance,” Westlin said. “It is a critical risk management tool for growers across the country. Particularly in Oklahoma this year, given the devastating drought that is currently impacting growers from across the state.”
There are some areas of opportunity to improve the farm bill, Westlin said, beginning with increasing reference prices for wheat growers.
“Looking at those other areas outside of crop insurance, trying to look at the reference price in Title I, increasing the statutory reference price for wheat growers is one of the things that we are looking at this reauthorization,” Westlin said.
Increasing that price is an expensive task, Westlin said, but it will help growers more accurately cover their cost of production in years where there might be a revenue decline.
“On one other note in the farm bill, I think it is a critical time this year, and just making sure that growers across the country are continuing to educate their lawmakers on the importance and effectiveness of the risk management tools that are authorized and making sure Congress works diligently to reauthorize that and find a long-term extension that makes those meaningful investments in agriculture to help protect producers across the country,” Westlin said.
