NAMA News
February 2007

Inside this Issue USDA reduces Karnal bunt restrictions More federal funding for oat research CRP landowners need flexibility ITC officers in DC meetings Whole Grains Made Easy NAMA hosts reception for Food Aid GFF to sponsor MOD event Opportunities to promote products Biofuels, Food and Feed Tradeoffs NAMA in the news Conference calendar Since the last newsletter	Members of the oat team in Washington, DC to ask for more federal funding for research. Paul Murphy, North Carolina State University; Mac Ehrhardt, Albert Lea Seed House; Jane DeMarchi, NAMA; Bruce Roskens, PepsiCo/Quaker Oats; Gordon Brockmueller, grower, Freeman, SD; Stephen Harrison, Louisiana State University; Rick Cole, General Mills, Inc.

USDA reduces Karnal bunt restrictions on wheat production in the Southwest
USDA recently finalized its proposal to amend the Karnal bunt regulations that restrict wheat production in Maricopa and Pinal Counties, AZ, and Archer, Baylor, Knox, McCulloch, San Saba, Throckmorton, and Young Counties, TX. USDA said it proposed the change “to relieve restrictions that are no longer necessary.”

The milling industry spent tremendous resources building durum production in the desert Southwest. Those efforts were paying off as durum plantings there had increased by nearly two-thirds between 1993 and 1996. However, since the discovery of Karnal bunt and the imposition of the planting restrictions, desert durum plantings have plummeted by one-half.

NAMA was one of two parties submitting comments on the proposal. NAMA’s letter of support said “NAMA supports the elimination of planting restrictions as proposed by APHIS. Karnal bunt is a wheat disease of only minor agronomic importance, and in most circumstances is of little or no consequence from a food safety and quality standpoint. As the world leader in the elimination of unnecessary sanitary and phytosanitary regulations that only serve to restrict trade, the U.S. should eliminate all Karnal bunt regulations.” NAMA's letter of support / USDA’s final rule

NAMA pushes for more federal funding for oat research
Millers, researchers and producers were in Washington in February to encourage reinstatement of cuts in federal funding for oat research and the consideration of new projects. In 2007 the NAMA effort netted $4.6 million.

Three teams visited the offices of 30 Senators and Representatives. Team members were:

• John Bollingberg, grower, Bremen, ND
• Gordon Brockmueller, grower, Freeman, SD
• Rick Cole, General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
• Mac Ehrhardt, Albert Lea Seed House, Albert Lea, MN
• Stephen Harrison, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
• Mike McMullen, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
• Paul Murphy, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
• Bruce Roskens, PepsiCo/Quaker Oats, Chicago, IL
• Lynn Rundle, 21st Century Grain Processing Company, Manhattan, KS
• Rick Schwein, Grain Millers, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN
• Deon Stuthman, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

NAMA wants flexibility for landowners in the CRP
In a letter delivered to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, members of the ag community, including NAMA, urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to announce what flexibility USDA is willing to offer landowners with acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to respond to market-driven needs. The group asked that, at a minimum, the Department announce a willingness to provide growers the option to opt out of the program without penalty to pursue whatever the current market conditions may reflect. The ag community expressed concern regarding corn availability and the potential impact of renewable fuels on U.S. grain and oilseed customers.

The letter was also delivered to Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Charles Conner and Capitol Hill leadership. There were a total of 30 signatories. Read the letter to USDA in its entirety.

International Trade Committee officers in DC meetings
NAMA’s International Trade Committee (ITC) Chairman, Steve Wickes, Agricor, Inc., and ITC Vice Chairman Rod Geiger, Bartlett Milling Company, held several meetings in Washington in preparation for this year’s Farm Bill and appropriations discussions. In meetings with Congressional contacts, WFP (World Food Program), and U.S. Agency for International Development officials, the officers encouraged greater consistency in programming food aid and opposed efforts to use food aid allocations from the U.S. for procurement of commodities from other countries. NAMA has joined other agriculture groups in encouraging the Farm Bill to reauthorize food aid programs and reject the local purchase options that are being proposed by the Administration. WFP studies have shown that purchase of local foods during emergencies can actually enlarge the problem by increasing demand and prices for scarce foods. This debate has been ongoing in both domestic and international circles, but NAMA remains steadfast in opposition to a change that would undermine the constituency for humanitarian interventions against hunger by the US government. Read more

WFC co-sponsors ADA Fact Sheet - Whole Grains Made Easy
"Whole Grains Made Easy" fact sheet was developed by the Wheat Foods Council in collaboration with the Whole Grains Council. The fact sheet addresses nutrition, 2005 Dietary Guidelines and serving size as they relate to whole grains. It appears in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and on ADA's website. View the Fact Sheet

NAMA hosts reception for Food Aid Managers Course
Several NAMA products were prepared for a reception held in Washington, DC for 40 Food Aid Managers from the USAID missions in developing countries throughout the world. Corn soy blend, wheat soy blend and bulgur were made into appetizing foods that the managers tasted and discussed with Jane DeMarchi and Paul Green of NAMA’s staff. This is part of NAMA’s outreach to our partners to expand their knowledge and support of using high nutrition foods in international hunger programs.

GFF to sponsor of March of Dimes event
For the second year, NAMA and the American Bakers Association are gearing up to participate in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Members of the NAMA/ABA staff will walk as “Grain Foods Foundation Team DC.” The Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) is a national sponsor of the fund-raising event. GFF will have booths set up at 15 sites across the country and banners at top 100 sites. The Foundation will post walk markers that promote the health benefits of folic acid in enriched white bread and will distribute literature about the health benefits of bread. GFF members are invited to donate food products and/or coupons for distribution at the booths. For more information about WalkAmerica, go to http://www.walkamerica.org.

HBA giving members opportunities to promote products
The Home Baking Association (HBA) gave members the opportunity to promote their products by donating small branded food and cooking related items and/or informational brochures or catalogues to the Kansas Nutrition Council and the Kansas 4-H Breads Workshop.

Contact Charlene Patton at 785.478.3283 or hbapatton@aol.com for more information on how your company can take advantage of the HBA promotion opportunities.

Future options for Biofuels, Food and Feed Tradeoffs
The Biofuels, Food and Feed Tradeoffs conference April 12-13 will feature the principal authors of research done by private industry, academia and the federal government on the diversity and complexity of opportunities and challenges generated by the nation’s biofuels industry.

The April 12-13 event will be at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel, St. Louis, Mo. Early bird registration available through March 21 is $160; after March 21, registration will be $200. Program, registration and hotel information is on the Web at http://www.farmfoundation.org.

For more information, contact: Steve Halbrook, Vice President, Farm Foundation, steve@farmfoundation.org and/or Mary Thompson, Director of Communications, Farm Foundation, mary@farmfoundation.org.

NAMA in the news
February Is Bake For Family Fun Month
PR Web, Ferndale, WA
February 12, 2007
... King Arthur Flour Company; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Lesaffre Yeast Corporation; North American Millers; Association; Rabbit Creek; Shawnee Milling Company; ...

NGFA, Other Agribusiness Groups Urge USDA to Provide Producers ...
Grainnet, Decatur, IL
February 20, 2007
... Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, North American Export Grain Association, North American Millers Association and The Fertilizer Institute. ...

Virginia Crop Improvement Association hosts its annual seed ...
American Farm, Easton, MD
February 20, 2007
It can be mutually beneficial for producers and millers located in the region. Two new wheat lines have been released, Jamestown and VA02W-555. ...

Conference calendar
2007 Annual Meeting, Savannah, GA
Mansion on Forsyth Park
September 27-29, 2007

2008 Annual Meeting, Lake Tahoe, NV
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
September 25-27, 2008

2008 Division Meetings, Palm Coast, FL
The Club at Hammock Beach
March 15-18, 2008

Since the Last Newsletter
Members who would like to review the activities of NAMA staff during the past month go to http://www.namamillers.org/mbr_SLN_02_28_07.cfm.

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