NFU Education Programs

The Farmers Union Advocacy Training Workshop helps participants build a solid foundation in communication and advocating. Through speaker sessions and engaging in activities, emerging leaders will assemble resources about leadership, storytelling, advocacy, and public speaking. This event includes the opportunity to meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill. 

The 2024 NFU Advocacy Training Workshop will take place April 15 & 16, 2024 in DC
Applications must be submitted by March 15th
Click here to learn more and apply!

Youth education and leadership programs are essential to the success and growth of National Farmers Union (NFU). Each summer, NFU members ages 18-20 who have distinguished themselves as leaders are given the opportunity to attend NFU’s All-States Leadership Camp. Youth come from across the United States to explore their personal leadership skills, identify issues important to their generation, and discuss their role in affecting positive change throughout rural America, both individually and through involvement in Farmers Union. 

NFU prioritizes engaging the next generation of advocates through cooperation, legislation, and education. In order to understand the needs and desires of the next generation, NFU has established an Ambassadors program for young adults to lead our effort. Serving a two-year term, our Ambassadors develop and lead curriculum and network with other ag leaders from the next generation. Interested in becoming an Ambassador? Join us for an Emerging Leaders program and learn more about the opportunity! 

National Farmers Union's Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) is a free, year-long training program intended to improve the health of your farm or ranch business. We aim to bring together participants from diverse backgrounds around shared learning objectives, including business formation, taxation, accounting, land, labor, credit, and business planning. 

Over the course of this three-day conference, participants will hear from experts in the field, participate in interactive learning activities and workshops, and tour co-ops in the Twin Cities. The event attracts students from across the country and is beneficial to those new to co-ops as well as those with some previous co-op education. 

The essence of the co-op movement – people working together for our mutual benefit—is the spirit that motivates Farmers Union activity. This resource library provides information on cooperative principles, funding opportunities, and so much more! 

Enjoy recordings from National Farmers Union's cooperative education webinar series. Topics range from information on the co-op movement, advocacy opportunities, Rochdale principles, co-op history, and more!    

The future of family farm agriculture depends heavily upon the civic involvement of the next generation. National Farmers Union believes young people can practice good citizenship now, not only when they reach adulthood. Farmers Union encourages this through leadership training and opportunities for young people as early as first grade. With this in mind, National Farmers Union 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 also encourages the use of these educational materials in classrooms. Reprinting or linking to these materials is permitted with proper attribution to National Farmers Union.  

NFU recognizes the importance of providing resources to the next generation of agricultural leaders. Through our Emerging Leaders programing, NFU Ambassadors develop a curriculum to educate, engage and inspire our next generation of leaders. The Emerging Leaders programing takes place during NFU Fly-In and Convention events. For those interested in participating in Emerging Leaders programing, check out Convention and Fly-In agenda to see what is being offered!  

Growing conditions and production practices present demanding challenges, but those are not the only skills today’s farmer must maintain. To thrive in changing markets, farmers must also operate with a high degree of business savvy. Farm business health can be divided into eight different topics for purposes of identifying a farm operation’s strong points and weak areas, and to direct efforts for business health improvement. With that in mind, National Farmers Union provides our Farm Business Toolbox to help.

When you make a mistake on the farm, most often you can learn from it and make corrections so it doesn’t happen again. Following these general safety guidelines can help you prevent accidents and keep you and your loved ones safe. 

Recognizing these immense challenges, National Farmers Union (NFU) is partnering with Farm Credit and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) to help family members, friends, and neighbors address the farm stress crisis in their own communities. In this free online training, participants will learn to understand stress, recognize warning signs of stress and suicide, identify effective communication strategies, reduce stigma related to mental health concerns, and connect farmers and ranchers with appropriate mental health and other resources. 

The National Farmers Union internship provides first-hand experience in monitoring legislative and regulatory activity in the federal government, creating written or visual content for publications, planning educational and advocacy events, and supporting the organization’s 200,000 members. 

The National Farmers Union Foundation’s Local Food Safety Collaborative (LFSC) is an FDA-funded initiative to provide training, education, and technical assistance to local food producers. Its core mission is to build fundamental knowledge of food safety and support compliance with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. On this webpage, you will find resources and events hosted by LFSC and our partners to help you incorporate the best food safety approaches into your agricultural operation. 

NFU is a proud support of the National FFA Organization! In 2022, NFU began offering a virtual leadership training program to National FFA Officer Candidates preparing for their interviews. During this training, candidates hear from industry leaders and have an opportunity to mock interview with FFA alumni and supporters. National Officer candidates interested in attending should email NFU Membership Coordinator, Caroline Pawl ([email protected]) to make sure they receive an invitation!  

Every year, National Farmers Union presents several scholarships to students in any area of study attending a two- or four-year accredited college, university, or technical school who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to their communities. 

Farming is never a one-woman job – it takes a village to run a successful operation. This conference will not only prepare attendees for success in agriculture, but it will also provide them with their own network of women farmers and ranchers they can reach out to throughout the year. Farmers, policy makers, educators, and specialists will present on a number of subjects, including business management and community building. Women's Conference is a great opportunity to learn more about cooperatives, farming with family, insurance, leadership, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other attendees and win prizes!