Rep. Brown offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No.

            A resolution to urge the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to accept results from the falling number test in determining loss of wheat quality for crop insurance claims.

            Whereas, Heavy rain during peak wheat harvest damaged wheat in a broad area of central Michigan and the thumb region. Rain caused the wheat grain to germinate, or sprout, in the wheat head prior to harvesting. This sprouting reduces wheat quality, leading to poor flour quality and lower quality food products produced from the flour, and depresses the prices farmers can receive for their wheat; and

            Whereas, Farmers in Michigan and other states purchase, at considerable expense, crop insurance to buffer them from these losses in wheat quality. Crop insurance helps farmers recover some of their losses when they receive lower prices for their damaged crop; and

            Whereas, Wheat farmers are not being adequately compensated for their losses. Current Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) policies for determining wheat quality significantly underestimate the losses experienced by wheat farmers. The FCIC only uses the number of sprouted grains to determine wheat quality loss for an insurance claim, whereas wheat buyers increasingly also use a falling number test to determine quality and the prices they will pay. Sprout counts underestimate losses compared to the more objective, accurate, and replicable falling number test. The falling number test is increasingly considered the industry standard for wheat quality determinations; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to accept results from the falling number test in determining loss of wheat quality for crop insurance claims; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.