05/23/06 USDA and the soft white wheat safety net

Farm and Ranch May The persistent efforts of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers on the issue of the inadequate farm program safety net for soft white wheat is apparently making some inroads at the USDA. WAWG President Jerry Snyder detected a shift in attitude in a meeting Washington D.C. meeting earlier this month. Snyder: "Our last meeting was with undersecretary Gaibler and Terry Higganbotham, who is, I would call him the mathematician that helps work out these programs and does posted county prices as well. And the thing that was so different about this meeting was, when we left undersecretary Gaibler gave the impression he would instruct his lawyers to look into the 2002 Farm Bill and see how they can help us as opposed to why the couldn't help us. From previous meetings that we have had from other undersecretaries we have never had that kind of response. The response has always been no we can't. No we won't." The wheat growers were accompanied on that visit by Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris and their aides. Snyder: "And the fact that the Senator and the Representative spend 45 plus minutes with us is phenomenal because their days are divided up into 15 minute segments. I mean we really appreciate their help." WAWG is seeking a counter cyclical payment for 2005 soft white wheat of from 33 to 44 cents a bushel. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.