On March 18, House and Senate Agriculture Committee chairmen and ranking members announced an agreement on the allocation of money between titles of the pending farm bill. The new framework reflects a five year bill based on the $597 billion baseline, plus an additional $10 billion over 10 years. The proposal accounts for spending on a variety of farm bill programs including disaster assistance, renewable energy, nutrition, conservation and rural development.

 

"While I appreciate the efforts of Chairmen Peterson and Harkin, and Ranking Members Goodlatte and Chambliss to determine a starting point on farm bill allocations, I am very disappointed it does not include the necessary resources for a meaningful weather related disaster program," said NFU President Tom Buis.

 

On March 19, Senate Finance committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., issued a statement saying that the proposed spending allocations for titles of the farm bill were "dead on arrival." Baucus indicated his disappointment that the framework provided only $2.2 billion, instead of $5.1 billion, for a permanent disaster program. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who chairs the Senate Budget Committee and has worked closely with Baucus to craft the permanent disaster program, also said that he found the $2.1 billion was unacceptable.

 

Despite the progress made by Agriculture Committee leadership, the Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee and the White House have yet to agree on how to pay for the additional $10 billion spending. The Bush administration strongly objects to the use of tax revenue raisers to provide additional farm bill funding.

 

Read our statement.

 

On March 19, North Dakota Farmers Union county organizations held $1.00 "Farmer's Share" meals across the state. Forty-eight of 51 counties held a meal last Wednesday, while one more county will hold an event later this week. Many mistake increasing consumer food prices to be caused by the prices farmers receive for their crops and livestock, rather than high energy costs and inflation. The NDFU meals aimed to inform consumers of the actual "farmer's share" of food.

 

"Today's high crop prices are being blamed for the rise in food costs. One myth is that the demand for renewable fuels has caused high corn prices, which in turn has led to higher food prices," said NDFU President Robert Carlson. "In fact, rising energy prices have twice the impact on the Consumer Price Index for food than the price of corn."

 

Farmers today earn just twenty cents of every dollar spent on food, while non-farm costs including marketing, processing, wholesaling, distribution and retailing account for eighty cents of every food dollar spent in the United States.

 

Final numbers were not available as of press time, but with those reporting, the county events averaged about 120 people served, feeding well over 5,000 across North Dakota. While most NDFU members were pleased at the number of people they were able to feed during their Farmer's Share Meal, some were more satisfied by the fact that their Farmer's Share message was heard throughout the state.

 

Read NDFU's release.

Watch KXMC-TV Minot's story on the event.

 

Boyd Munns grew up in a small ranching community about eighty miles north of Salt Lake City. Today, he lives outside Garland, Utah - about half a mile from where he grew up - with his wife Sally and near his five children. Boyd has spent his whole life, nearly 82 years, in the area, aside from the few years he was in Europe serving America as part of the armed forces during World War II. Boyd's whole life has been about agriculture, and his hard work and perseverance has passed onto his children and grandchildren.

 

When I asked Boyd what he does for fun, he simply replied, "I've done it my whole life - cultivating the land, raising cattle, breaking horses, hunting, fishing, cowboys, rodeos, spending time with my kids - agriculture is my life, and I wouldn't change it for anything."

 

Continue reading Boyd's story.

 

Each year, the National Farmers Union Foundation awards several $500 scholarships from its Stanley Moore Scholarship Fund to students seeking funding to attend a two- or four-year college, university or technical school.

 

The national Stanley Moore Scholarship is open to Farmers Union members and their children, whether they are high school seniors, traditional or non-traditional college students or adults seeking higher education. The award is to be used for tuition and books.

 

A selection committee will choose finalists based on a written essay or a taped oral presentation outlining personal and professional goals and involvement with Farmers Union, academic record and social and community activities. The committee will interview finalists via phone. Applications must be postmarked by April 17 to be considered.

 

As a young boy, Stanley Moore traveled with his grandfather, C.C. Talbott, a key organizer and first president of the North Dakota Farmers Union. As an adult, Moore rose through the ranks of Farmers Union, becoming NDFU's president from 1975 to 1987. He also served as vice president of National Farmers Union from 1980 - 87, chairman of the NFU Insurance Company board from 1975 - 95 and NFUIC chief executive officer from 1987 - 89. Moore was a strong advocate of education and this scholarship provides a lasting memorial in honor of his achievements and dedication to Farmers Union.

 

Application materials are available on our website. For more information, contact NFU Education Director Laura Johnston Monchuk at (202)741-9410.

Have you, or someone you know, taken advantage of the many Farmers Union educational opportunities available?  

As a way of thanking Montana's farmers and ranchers, MTFU urged all Montanans to ask members of Congress to do something important for the countryside while they are back home for spring recess, which is to pass a Farm Bill. Agriculture, indeed, is the backbone of our country. Farmers and ranchers provide our daily bread, and fiber. Soon, fuels from the farm will help lead the way to energy independence. Each farmer today feeds about 144 people in the United States and abroad, and agriculture contributes more than $2.5 billion each year to the Montana economy.

 

Along with MTFU, the Prairie Star saluted Montana's farming and ranching community last week - and both are proud to be a part of Montana's number one industry - agriculture.

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.

North Dakota Farmers Union Crop Marketing Seminars
March 25     9:00am             Seven Seas, Mandan
March 25     2:30pm             Grand International, Minot
March 26     9:00am             Spirit Lake Casino, Devils Lake
March 26     2:00pm             NDFU State Office, Jamestown

North Dakota Farmers Union Farmer's Share Meal
March 27     11:30am-1:30pm Civic Center, Waford City

North Dakota Farmers Union Disaster Assistance Rally
**With Sen. Kent Conrad and Collin Peterson (invited)
March 27     3:15 pm             Seven Seas, Mandan

Wisconsin Farmers Union Carbon Credit Meetings
March 27     10am-Noon        Dunn County Judicial Center, Menomonie
                  2-4pm               Pepin Biofuels, Wabasha, Minn.
                  2-4pm               Buffalo County Board Room, Alma
                  2-4pm               Lumberjack Restaurant, Stanley
                  7:30-9pm          Wisconsin Technical College, Independence
March 28     10am-Noon        Southwest Technical College, Fennimore
                  10am-Noon        Club 16, Sparta
                  10am-Noon        Merrimac Family Restaurant, Waupaca
                  2-4pm               UW Extension Conference Room, Dodgeville
                  2-4pm               UW Arlington Research Station, Arlington

Minnesota Farmers Union Ag Trends Conference
March 27     9 am-5pm          Shooting Star Casino, Mahnomen

Minnesota Farmers Union Home Grown Economy Conference
Sponsored by Representative Collin Peterson
March 31     9am-5pm           University of Minnesota Crookston

Have an upcoming event you would like to share? Send the event, date, time and location to Amber Birtcher.

 

 

View a printable version of Farmer's Share.

 

Taken from "Agricultural Prices," USDA/NASS.

Taken from "Agricultural Prices," USDA/NASS.