Millers Advocate For Farm Bill Priorities During NAMA Washington Policy Conference

May 24, 2023 – North American Millers’ Association (NAMA) members advocated for the milling industry’s farm bill priorities on Capitol Hill during the organization’s Washington Policy Conference, which ended today in Washington, D.C.

“NAMA’s Washington Policy Conference is an important opportunity for policymakers to hear firsthand from millers in their districts and states,” NAMA Senior Director of Government Affairs Kim Cooper said. “This outreach is absolutely crucial to advancing milling priorities like investing in grain research and improving U.S. international food aid programs through the farm bill process.”

Yesterday, representatives from 11 NAMA member companies participated in 56 total meetings with congressional offices, including key members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. Given that the farm bill is currently due for reauthorization by September 30, 2023, conversations with lawmakers and their staffs focused on farm bill priorities, including:

• “Putting the food back in food aid” by restoring farm bill authorized programs to their roots as pure in-kind commodity donation programs. 
• Increasing the farm bill’s authorization for wheat and barley research from $15 million to $20 million to support the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative.
• Ensuring that farm bill conservation programs not further skew planting decisions away from food grains such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye.

The Washington Policy Conference was also timely considering that several supply chain-related bills supported by NAMA were voted on Tuesday, May 23 in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Specifically, the committee advanced top NAMA priorities around trucking, including a pilot program for increased trucking weights and an increase in axle tolerance to allow for dry-bulk shift.

The event concluded today with a meeting of the NAMA Executive Committee, which included a briefing from USDA on new programs and priorities. 

“NAMA’s fly-in is a chance for millers to connect the dots for our elected officials about how policies being debated on Capitol Hill impact our businesses and the entire milling supply chain,” said NAMA Chair Brian Doyle (King Milling). “Thank you to all NAMA members who took the time to travel to D.C. for this event – your advocacy makes a difference.” 

NAMA’s policy priorities reflect the role of millers as a crucial link in the food supply chain. More information is available online at namamillers.org/our-priorities.

About NAMA:

NAMA is the only national trade association that exclusively represents the interests of the North American wheat, corn, oat, and rye milling industry before Congress, federal agencies, and international regulatory bodies. Member companies operate mills in 32 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada, representing more than 90 percent of total industry production capacity.

The North American Millers’ Association is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Persons who require alternative means of communication for program information should contact [email protected] or 202-484-2200.