Wheat Growers Respond to USDA's Announcement on Another Round of MFP Payments for Farmers

Jul 26, 2019

On July 25, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced details of its latest $16 billion in aid to offset trade damages, including another round of market facilitation program (MFP) payments of $14.5 billion for farmers who are being impacted by the current trade war with China. Payment rates are set at a county level rather than commodity rate.

“NAWG appreciates the Administration recognizing the impact the current trade war with China is having on farmers,” stated NAWG President and Lavon, TX farmer Ben Scholz. “The MFP payments will provide necessary assistance to growers impacted by low prices resulting in part from tariffs. However, this is a band-aid when we really need a long-term fix. NAWG understands holding China accountable for its WTO violations and unfair trade practices but a trade war is not the solution especially when farmers are the casualties.”

Prior to the release of details of MFP, NAWG sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue outlining concerns to be addressed in a final program. Additionally, NAWG met with the Office of Management of Budget (OMB) and USDA officials to discuss its concerns including those raised around ensuring fall 2018-seeded winter wheat would be eligible, fallow rotations, and new and beginning farmers. Specifically, NAWG asked that growers not be penalized by the limit of 2018 harvested acres since the MFP proposal uses a farmer’s 2019 planted acres capped at their 2018 harvested acres.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.