WASHINGTON, DC, US — US wheat growers have been challenged with drought issues this year and Chandler Goule, chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) attended the Wheat Quality Council’s 2021 Hard Spring and Durum Wheat Tour to assess the current wheat quality.

During the tour, the group would split up and visit about 110 farms a day in North Dakota, US, and engaged in discussions about wheat quality. It allows the fundamentals of wheat to be taught and shared to help educate the wheat industry and value chain.

Anne Osborne, project manager for the National Wheat Foundation, joined Goule on the tour which gave them the opportunity to gain more knowledge on how to better advocate for the wheat producers dealing with the drought conditions.

“In years like this where growers experience extreme drought, we need to be diligent in our efforts to advocate for crop insurance and disaster assistance,” said Goule. “We’ve seen the effect of the drought. Now, we will continue to stress to lawmakers about providing timely assistance to growers and continue to seek programmatic improvements that look at quality loss from a disaster. Wheat growers need to know that their needs are being advocated for on Capitol Hill.”

The tour allowed Goule and Osborne to see the realities of a difficult growing season and provided them on-the-ground perspective that helps NAWG to better serve wheat growers across the nation.

The association also noted how the tour demonstrated the importance of the US Farm Bill programs that provide risk management tools or conservation programs that work to maintain soil health and improve farm productivity.

NAWG said it intends to use this first-hand experience and knowledge toward the reauthorization of the US Farm Bill in 2023 to continue to develop wheat growers’ policies and priorities.