It has been a couple of months since the Trump Administration began shutting down USAID. As the industry works to adjust, the Washington Grain Commission says it is hoping to see the program get back to its roots.
“There’s been a push for a while to increase this transparency and accountability, and what they say is ‘put the food back in food aid’. There’s been quite a shift in the last five or ten years, even, to cash payments overseas or purchasing commodities overseas, often from our competitors. So, we would like to see a return to the original intent of the program,” said Casey Chumrau.
She is hoping the program can be reworked, saying farmers in the Pacific Northwest rely on that business.
“It is a significant part of the PNW’s export plan, I would say at this point. Food aid is, if you would count it as a country, a top ten market for soft white in the last decade. And so that wheat is purchased commercially like any other bushel of wheat and does support our farmers and then, obviously, helps battle hunger across the world as well.”
USAID’s most recent budget was around $40 billion. It began in the 1960s under President Kennedy, and averaged about $2 billion a year in small grains purchases.
The Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution that had been approved by the House the previous week. They could take it up again today, but it would take seven democrats to end the stalemate.
September 30, 2025 11:26 AM
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“Those could’ve easily been our beans going over there. It goes to show that if that opportunity is there, China would be willing to buy.”
September 29, 2025 03:59 PM
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Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn joined us Monday to share highlights from Secretary Brooke Rollins’ visit and her perspective on USDA’s new initiatives.
September 29, 2025 02:14 PM
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RFD-TV Farm Legal and Taxation expert, Roger McEowen, with the Washburn School of Law, joined us Monday to break down the changes and explain what producers should know.
September 29, 2025 01:57 PM
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North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) President Mark Watne joined us Monday to share his perspective on the America First Trade Promotion Program and potential implications for producers.
September 29, 2025 01:38 PM
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Duane Simpson, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), joined us in Monday’s Market Day Report to share his perspective on the USDA’s plan and potential impact on producers.
September 29, 2025 12:17 PM
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