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Farm Bill Update
NFU Calls
for Action
 NFU President Tom
Buis, in a media conference call Jan. 25, strongly urged
members of Congress and the administration to reach a
compromise so a new farm bill can be signed into
law. Members of the House and Senate have not reached
an agreement on their two bills and the administration has
repeatedly threatened to veto both versions of the
legislation. "On behalf of Farmers Union we want to
state, unequivocally, we are fully supportive of getting a new
farm bill written and written soon. I would hope that the
House and Senate would pass something, send it to the
president and if he vetoes it, let him suffer the political
consequences," Buis said. Current farm programs expire
March 15, leaving a limited number of legislative days for a
final bill to be signed into law. If a new farm bill is not
enacted, the non-expiring provisions of the Agricultural
Adjustment Act of 1938 and the Agricultural Act of 1949 - "Permanent Law" - will take
effect. On Jan. 24, NFU's
board of directors convened to discuss the
current situation. The board decided that if a new farm bill
cannot be enacted, the organization would support allowing
farm programs to enter into permanent law rather than
extending the current farm bill.
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Join us in Las Vegas!
REMINDER: IN ORDER TO RESERVE
A ROOM IN BALLY'S AT NFU'S CONVENTION RATES, YOU MUST
MAKE RESERVATIONS BY THIS FRIDAY, MARCH
1!
NFU's
2008 Convention will be held March 2 -
4 at Bally's in Las Vegas. Guaranteed to be an exciting mix of
top-notch speakers, policy makers and Farmers Union members
from across the country, the 2008 NFU Convention is a can't
miss event.
Last year we were privileged to have House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi provide the keynote address and we are looking
forward to another successful event in 2008. See you in Las
Vegas!
Additional Las Vegas Information:
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Kansas Farmers Union
President Urges Health Care
Reform
Donn Teske Testifies
before Congress
 On Jan. 23, Kansas
Farmers Union President Donn Teske addressed the
House of Representatives Small Business Committee to urge the
adoption of a national health care policy that confronts the
numerous difficulties of obtaining affordable and quality
health care.
"Farmers are small business owners and as such are not
able to obtain health care insurance through an employer as
many Americans do. For those who do have private insurance, it
often comes at a high price and does not adequately provide
for the high cost of receiving services in rural areas," Teske
said.
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NFU Poll of the Week
Along with the high costs associated
with rural health care, availability is often an issue. How
far do you have to travel to get to a hospital?
Last week we asked how you feel about cloning
animals for human consumption.
First, we asked if you would eat products from cloned
animals:
14% said
YES, 67% said NO and
17% said MAYBE.
Second, we asked if cloned products should be
labeled:
85%
said YES, 3% said NO
and 7% said MAYBE.
Thanks for all your great
feedback!
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Members' Corner: James Nisly, Iowa Farmers
Union
Highlighting Outstanding Members in Our States
 When asked if he
had any hobbies or activities he did in his free time, James
Nisly simply laughed and said, "Hobbies? I don't have time for
hobbies." Although whenever he can slip away from his farming
business, which is very rarely, he enjoys down-hill
skiing.
James grew up in Kalona, Iowa, a small farming community
in southeast Iowa that epitomizes rural America and family
farming (I feel justified in saying this because I grew up
fifteen miles from there, and can attest to the accuracy of
this statement). While his family was not involved in
production agriculture, the area was infiltrated with those
who were. James' family did, however, keep a few small
livestock and a garden in their backyard. So either way you
look at it, James has had agriculture coursing through his
blood since birth.
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Read our previous profiles:
Do you know someone you would like to
feature from your state? Contact Amber
Birtcher. |
2008 Convention
Countdown - National Youth Advisory
Council
Meet Kyle Danzinger, Durand,
Wis.Leading up to the National Farmers Union
Convention in Las Vegas, we will be counting down the weeks by
introducing the eight members of the NFU
National Youth Advisory Council. The NYAC members
will be serving as pages at the convention. Check back next
week for our next profile!
 Kyle Danzinger of
Durand, Wis., has a favorite quote by Thomas Jefferson: "I
find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." If
hard work is the key, Kyle must be a lucky man,
indeed.
Kyle works with his father and mother, Don and Jackie
Danzinger, on their family dairy farm, where they milk about
45 Holstein cows and raise their own replacement
heifers.
He has been an active Wisconsin Farmers Union member since
the age of eight, attending numerous Farmers Union day classes
and summer camps. In 2007, he was elected to WFU's state
Senior Youth Advisory Council.
He is a senior at Durand High School, where he is
involved in FFA, football, Student Council, weight-lifting,
choir, Be a Solid Example (B.A.S.E.) and Teens Against Tobacco
Use (T.A.T.U). He is also involved in 4-H, his church youth
group and various community clean-up projects and enjoys
hunting, fishing and farming.
"I have had many opportunities through Farmers Union,"
Kyle explained. "I am excited to attend the convention
because, like any other Farmers Union event, there will be
many people there that have the same interests as me. Since I
left NFU's All-States Leadership Camp, I've been waiting for a
chance to see many friends from other states. I also look
forward to meeting many prominent figures in agriculture
during the NFU Convention."
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NFU Launches 2008
Youth Curriculum
"Project Citizenship" Will be Taught to Youth
Throughout 2008
 Each
year, NFU creates educational materials for grades 1
through 12 that local, state and regional Farmers Union
education leaders use in day classes, camps and other teaching
opportunities. NFU recently announced "Project Citizenship" as
its 2008 youth education curriculum theme.
"The future of family farm agriculture depends heavily
upon the civic involvement of the next generation," said NFU
Education Director Laura Johnston Monchuk. "National Farmers
Union believes young people can practice good citizenship now,
not just when they reach adulthood. Farmers Union encourages
this through leadership training and opportunities for young
people as early as first grade."
Through the 2008 curriculum series, young people will
explore their roles and responsibilities as leaders, advocates
and citizens. They should begin to realize the power of one
through individual activism and the strength that comes from
cooperation and teamwork. They will also learn how Farmers
Union and its farmer-members and member-owned cooperatives
participate in the democratic process and lead as local,
state, national and global citizens.
Contact your
state education director or Laura Johnston
Monchuk if you are interested in leading Farmers
Union "Project Citizenship" lessons in your area. The new
"Project Citizenship" lesson plans will be made available
online this fall after the 2008 Farmers Union camping season
is finished. NFU's 2007 "Eat
Fresh, Buy Local" lesson plans are
currently available on the NFU web
site. |
California Annual Convention a
Success
Officers Elected
and Awards Given
California Farmers Union and California Dairy Campaign's (CDC)
joint annual meeting was held Jan. 19 in Atwater, Calif., and
nearly 100 producers were in attendance. Joaquin Contente
was re-elected as CFU's President and Mike Silva as vice
president. Guest speakers included DeeDee D'Adamo, Senior
Policy Advisor to Rep. Dennis
Cardoza and National Farmers Union President Tom
Buis.
"We were honored that DeeDee D'Adamo from Representative
Dennis Cardoza's office met with our membership. As a member
of the House Agriculture committee, Rep. Cardoza is currently
working with other lawmakers to finalize the next farm bill,"
said CFU President Joaquin Contente. "As a senior staff
member, DeeDee is an integral part of the farm bill process
and we appreciate her willingness to share her knowledge and
expertise about the next farm bill with California
producers."
Buis discussed the lead role that NFU has played in the
nation's capital to shape the next farm bill, and NFU's farm
bill priorities, including a permanent disaster
assistance program, programs to foster greater competition in
agricultural markets, increased funding for conservation
programs and other key
issues. |
| State News
 Iowa: Iowa
Farmers Union will hold their 2008 Lobby Day next
Monday, Feb. 4. The event will be held in the South Rotunda
area of the state capitol from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Legislators and their staff members will be presented with
IAFU's top legislative priorities for 2008, including market
access for independent livestock producers, local control of
CAFO siting and funding for conservation and state
parks.
If you would like to attend or get more information on
the event, contact Leigh Adcock at iafu@isunet.net or
(800)775-5227.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin Farmers Union will be
holding a Youth Convention Co-op Program during their annual
convention this weekend, Feb. 2 - 3. Farmers Union youth from
around the state are invited to attend this weekend program
that will feature cooperative speakers and activities, free
time with friends and a great opportunity to learn more about
the Farmers Union organization. Program activities are geared
toward students in grades 7 through 12. Tanya Gracie, an
intern with the Ontario
Cooperative Association, will be the guest
presenter for the program.
Have NFU news you want to share? Send
any info about meetings, conventions, state fairs, individual
members' success, state government news, or anything else
relevant to NFU and its members to Amber
Birtcher. |
Farmer's Share
of Retail Food Dollar
December
2007
Farmer's Share of Beer
There have been several reports in the media, beginning
around the fourth of July, indicating the rise in the cost of
beer is due to increased production of ethanol. NFU looked
into the issue and here's what we found:
A 6-pack of Miller Light cans retails for $5.05 at
Safeway -
the farmer's share
of that 6-pack is only $0.11.
Farmer's Share of Retail Food
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Farm Price
Barometer
December 2007
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