WASHINGTON DC — The American Bakers Association (ABA) pushed for several wholesale baking industry priorities to be included in the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2023 Farm Bill in the Farm Bill Fly-In in Washington DC.
ABA members involved in ingredient procurement, federal nutrition programs and wheat innovation research from across the baking supply chain held 13 meetings with lawmakers from both parties.
“For the 2023 Farm Bill, it has been especially important to drive our industry’s priorities in partnership with a broader group of DC-based associations,” said Lee Sanders, senior VP, government relations and public affairs at ABA. “That said, our biggest partners are our members. Our members can illustrate with real-life examples how Farm Bill policies impact day-to-day decisions. ABA ensures industry stories are heard by the policy influencers who craft provisions in the Farm Bill.”
Congress develops and passes legislation on national commodity, trade, nutrition programs, energy and research policy every five years. ABA views this process as a chance to update policies.
“It’s because of ABA’s constant policy efforts in DC that we as members are able to come in and have efficient, impactful discussions with policymakers on Capitol Hill and at federal agencies,” said Hayden Wands, VP of global procurement, commodities for Grupo Bimbo. “ABA’s expertise in helping bakers and suppliers connect the dots between policy and practicality makes advocacy approachable and effective for those of us who don’t do these sorts of meetings every day.”
ABA members asked Congress for the following:
- Modernize the US Sugar program to grant the USDA a chance to respond to market demands.
- Retain choice for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
- Increase wheat production to meet demand through sustainable opportunity-creating tools. This includes matters such as expanding the definition of cover crops to allow for harvested food use and retaining the acreage cap in the Conservation Reserve Program.
- Maintain USDA research infrastructure with an emphasis on wheat quality research to keep the US competitive on a global scale.
“We are confident with ABA in our corner, we can make a difference in helping lawmakers understand the Farm Bill’s impacts on the wholesale baking industry,” Wands said.
For additional information on the ABA’s work on the Farm Bill, visit the association’s web page about the policy work. The next fly-in is scheduled for Nov. 13-14 and will focus on broader policy initiatives including workforce, nutrition and supply chain.
