Interactive 2003 Wheat Day a Huge Success
November 28, 2003
Colorado wheat growers heard informative speakers, participated in an interactive risk management workshop and adopted policy at the 6th annual Colorado Wheat Day held on November 14, at the Sheraton Denver Tech Center Hotel in Englewood. Colorado Wheat Day is the annual meeting of the Colorado Association of Wheat Growers (CAWG) and is jointly sponsored by the Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee (CWAC).
Colorado State Senator and Co-Majority Leader Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, gave the address at the welcome dinner on November 13, and stressed the importance of agriculture to the state's economy, the promise of biotechnology and the important roles that CAWG and CWAC play in representing the interest and needs of wheat producers.
"The program was filled with valuable insight from Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh on present and future farm policy, a demonstration of the GPFARM software that is licensed to CAWG and an interactive workshop on risk management," said CAWG President Ron dark of Matheson. "The 2003 Colorado Wheat Day was a great way to introduce Colorado wheat growers to the GPFARM software and risk management workshops that will be held by CAWG this spring throughout eastern Colorado.
In his keynote speech. Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh discussed the political evolution of 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills and the politics of the 2007 Farm Bill. Flinchbaugh is a nationally recognized agricultural policy specialist, professor and extension leader at Kansas State University.
The Risk Management Education Workshop conducted by the CSU Right Risk Education Team allowed attendees to experiment and get instant results with marketing techniques and buying options on several lap top computers. There was also a demonstration of the new GPFARM Software (version 2.6 is licensed to CAWG) that is a tool for making on-farm management decisions.
A national legislative update was presented by Sherman Reese, second vice president of the National Association of Wheat Growers and a wheat producer from Echo, Oregon. A report on the U.S. and world wheat situation and a review of the export market programs conducted by U.S. Wheat Associates (USWA) was provided by Keith Kisling, vice chairman of USWA and a wheat producer from Burlington, Oklahoma.
CAWG reaffirmed its continuing support for federal emergency disaster assistance for crop losses and adopted numerous policy recommendations regarding federal crop insurance, including the re-structuring of federal crop insurance subsidies to favor higher levels of coverage at 85 percent and/or availability of 90 percent coverage levels; and that the level of coverage purchased by the producer as the appropriate yield plug factor (i.e. if a producer purchased 75 coverage, their yield plug option would be 75). Policy was also adopted supporting the merger of U.S. Wheat Associates, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the Wheat Export Trade Education Committee into U.S. Wheat, Inc. A new state policy was adopted by CAWG endorsing the Colorado State University legislative initiative to increase base funding by $2 million to enhance support for research projects and extension programs.
Robert Raines of Limon won the drawing for a John Deere 18 volt Jumbo Pack (retail value $390), donated by Strasburg Equipment, at the WheatPAC reception.