NAWG Testifies Before the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee

Sep 22, 2022

National Association of Wheat Growers President and Washington State wheat grower, Nicole Berg, testified in front of the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee, A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Stakeholder Perspectives on Title II Conservation Programs.

Nicole Berg highlighted how the Farm Bill voluntary conservation programs are significant in terms of environmental benefits and assistance to farmers. Technical assistance, planning and engineering and financial assistance in the form of cost share or incentives, provide farmers with the knowledge and economic incentive to be able to make a change in their operation or maintain a conservation practice.

“The costs of farming have increased and continue to do so,” said Nicole Berg. “While commodity prices have decreased recently, input costs have remained high. With farmers facing higher costs in all areas of their operations, the decision to adopt conservation practices can depend on the financial assistance that Farm Bill programs provide. Wheat growers support continued access to the voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs of the Farm Bill. Wheat growers, the environment and society have benefited from the programs through improved water quality and quantity, air quality, soil health and habitat.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.