NFU Blog

After five years of delays, mandatory country-of-origin labeling is set to be implemented in 2008. The house farm bill passed at the end of July includes language to efficiently and cost-effectively implement this law that so many have been waiting so long for.

A recent consumer poll released by Zogby shows that 94% of American consumers believe they have a right to know where their food comes from. While knowing where food comes from does not necessarily make it safe, it can help consumers make wiser, safer decisions during their next trip to the grocery store, and according to the poll, 90% of consumers agree. 88% even believe that all retail food should mandatorily be labeled.

Read more about NFU’s COOL policy.

This year, ethanol produced in rural America will supply about 6 billion gallons of fuel to the United States, allowing farmers to receive a price from the marketplace rather than from the government, while providing clean-burning fuel that is good for the environment and decreasing our dependence on non-renewable fuel sources. No doubt, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), adopted by Congress in 2005, has proven to be extremely successful.

A Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) would build upon the success of the RFS. A major increase in harnessing renewable electricity would benefit American farmers. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have a state-level RES in place, which has laid the groundwork for how a national RES could be implemented.

A recent National Farmers Union report highlights farmers’ roles in providing clean, renewable energy to Americans, and a 2006 study done by the University of Tennessee found that supplying 25 percent of U.S. electricity and vehicle fuels from America’s farm lands will directly add $114 billion in annual revenues and 1.2 million jobs to the agricultural sector by 2025.

Several studies have also shown that along with the revenue that will be brought to farmers through the use of their land, revenues for rural communities can be increased through local ownership. A farmer could receive five times the annual projected income by owning the wind turbines as opposed to entering into a land lease agreement with outside ownership.

Read more about NFU’s energy policy.