By Billy Mitchell, NFU FSMA Training Coordinator The term “urban farming” evokes images of gleaming greenhouses scattered across New York rooftops, shipping containers full of greens in Charleston, South Carolina, … Read More
Year: 2020
NFU Urges Trump, EPA to Reject Gap Year Waiver Requests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 21, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Several months after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth determined that the U.S. Environmental Protection … Read More
Attacks on USPS Threaten Rural Communities and the Democratic Process
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been experiencing financial issues for many years, but dwindling mail volume during the pandemic has made matters worse, severely cutting into the … Read More
Derecho Flattens Crops Across Midwest
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director Hurricane-force winds tore through the Midwest this week, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The storm, known as a derecho, passed from … Read More
Pandemic Assistance Favors Certain Farmers Over Others
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director According to new analysis published this week by NBC News, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has disproportionately helped certain kinds of farmers more … Read More
JBS Plans to Buy, Convert Lamb Processing Facility
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director Brazilian company JBS, the world’s largest beef and pork processor, plans to buy the second largest lamb processing facility in the United States and … Read More
Wisconsin Farmers Union – Monopoly Power in our Food System
Making Food Safety Practical and Profitable
By Billy Mitchell, FSMA Training Coordinator A mountain of paperwork just to wash your hands. Out of control costs with no end in sight. Common sense concepts lost in a … Read More
Farmers Market Pivot and Provide Safe, Local Food Systems
By Billy Mitchell, NFU FSMA Training Coordinator Just five short months ago, National Farmers Union (NFU) members attending the organization’s annual convention breezed through Forsyth Park Farmers Market in Savannah, … Read More
Agricultural Innovation Agenda Must Reflect Environmental and Economic Challenges Facing Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – As family farmers and ranchers cope with significant economic and environmental uncertainty, innovation will play a critical … Read More
How Has the Pandemic Affected Food Prices?
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director In the last 12 months, food prices at grocery stores have risen 5.6 percent – the largest annual increase in nearly a decade. The severity of … Read More
USDA Report on Cattle Markets Must Be Accompanied By Reforms to Industry, Farmers Union Says
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – In a report released today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provided an update … Read More
Farmers, Rural Communities, Hospitals Need More Support to Weather Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 16, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON – The coronavirus pandemic continues to overwhelm rural hospitals, upend agricultural markets, and interrupt daily life as we know it, making … Read More
Despite Bumpy Rollout, Food Box Program Supports Farmers and Hungry Americans
By Billy Mitchell, NFU FSMA Training Coordinator Like most rural back roads, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmers to Families Food Box Program has had a few bumps along … Read More
Regenerative Agriculture Unites Ranchers and Beekeepers
By Jeanne Janson, NFU Intern The answer to rapidly declining pollinator populations and the climate crisis may lie in an unexpected place: climate-friendly cow pastures. As climate change, disease, predators, … Read More
Farming, Biofuels, and Public Interest Groups Challenge EPA on SAFE Rule
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 30, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – A broad coalition of ethanol, agriculture, and public interest groups are challenging the Trump administration’s recent fuel … Read More
This Dairy Month, Let’s Give Dairy Farmers Something to Celebrate
By Bobbi Wilson, Wisconsin Farmers Union Government Relations Associate Every June for the last 83 years, Americans have celebrated dairy farmers. A tradition that began as a way to encourage … Read More
LGBTQ+ Farmers Work to Build Queer-Inclusive Rural Communities
By Jeanne Janson, NFU Intern To understand how to build thriving rural communities, all we need to do is consider the ground beneath our feet. Healthy soil is complex mixture … Read More
The Scientific Case for Paying Farmers to Use Cover Crops and No-Till
By Dr. Deb O’Dell Scientific research helps make the case that farmers should be paid to apply no-till and cover crop practices to mitigate the effects of and adapt to … Read More
Carbon Markets Contribute to Financial and Environmental Sustainability of Family Farm Agriculture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – As family farmers grapple with the dual crises of a global pandemic and climate change, carbon markets … Read More
Farm Groups Launch Free Stress Management Course
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Following the December 2019 announcement of a new farm stress management online training course for employees and members … Read More
Juneteenth and the Broken Promise of “40 Acres and a Mule”
For many Black Americans, Juneteenth is a day of celebration. Observed on June 19th, the holiday commemorates the day that the last slaves were freed in the United States in … Read More
NFU Foundation Awards Scholarships to Young Agricultural Leaders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union Foundation (NFUF) today announced the 2020 recipients of the Hubert K. & JoAnn Seymour … Read More
Identifying Conservation Opportunities: Resource Stewardship Evaluation Tool with Will Cannon
The Resource Stewardship Evaluation Tool (RSET) is a free program offered through National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It is available to help Iowa farmers, … Read More
To Protect Rural Communities from Floods, Climate-Resilient Dams are Needed
By Jeanne Janson, NFU Intern America’s infrastructure has a climate change problem. The Edenville Dam in central Michigan collapsed in May after heavy rain—nearly five inches in 48 hours—falling on … Read More