FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 18, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – For every dollar Americans spend on their Thanksgiving dinner this year, farmers and ranchers will earn approximately 11.9 cents, according to National Farmers Union (NFU). This marks a slight decline from 2019, when farmers claimed 12.15 cents of the Thanksgiving food dollar. Though … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 17, 2020 WASHINGTON – An alliance of groups representing farmers, forest owners, the food sector, state governments and environmental advocates today unveiled an unprecedented set of recommendations to guide the development of federal climate policy. The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) was formed in February 2020 by four groups that … Read More
By Billy Mitchell, NFU FSMA Training Coordinator Over the years, the picture of a farmer and farm service provider working together has often looked the same – two people, sometimes with paperwork sprawled across a tailgate, looking out over rows and rows of a crop surrounded by farmland stretched to the horizon. It’s a classic … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – After several days of ballot counting and much anticipation, the Associated Press announced that former Vice President Joe Biden had won the 2020 U.S. presidential election. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew issued the following statement in response to the news: “The … Read More
By Tracy Heim, NFU Intern As fall transitions to winter, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing their New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint implementation. On October 26, the FDA hosted a webinar that gave an inside look at the progress made in the first 100 days since the Blueprint announcement in July. … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 4, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The United States today formally exited the Paris Climate Agreement, three-and-a-half years after President Donald Trump pledged to do so, citing “lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic production.” One hundred and eighty-nine countries have ratified the historic agreement so … Read More
By Billy Mitchell, FSMA Training Coordinator Like a moth to a glowing jack-o’-lantern, you may be drawn towards towering shelves of mass-produced candy this Halloween season and tricked into thinking that local treats are a thing of the past. Do not be scared: farm-made, value-added products are alive and well in 2020. The old classics, … Read More
By Jeanne Janson, NFU Journalism Intern From mid-August through the end of September, Megan Brown spent countless hours fireproofing the livestock enclosures at her family’s ranch in Northern California and preparing to evacuate should the LNU Lightning Complex Fire—the third most destructive in the state’s history—get too close. Unfortunately, this has become a sort of … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – As part of its ongoing efforts to support the next generation of American agriculture, National Farmers Union (NFU) today announced that fourteen participants had been selected for its tenth Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) cohort. Over the course of ten months, these beginning … Read More
By Melanie Arthur, NFU Intern “Parking lot, go ahead and blow your horns. Let everybody know that you are here!” food safety trainer and technical service provider Darrell McGuire shouted at the crowd. Alabama farmers and ranchers – who had drove their vehicles up to the Bethel Spring Missionary Baptist Church to hear speakers present … Read More
By Tracy Heim, NFU Intern On the second Monday of every October, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated across the United States to honor the original inhabitants of the Americas. On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Farmers Union (NFU) celebrates the invaluable contributions of Native Americans and the Indigenous origins of many practices currently used in … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a final rule detailing updates to its Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill. In comparison to the interim rule, the final version places a greater emphasis on soil health – … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The National Organic Program (NOP) opens economic opportunities and new markets for American farmers – but in the last several years, millions of dollars of non-organic products have been intentionally mislabeled and sold as organic, eroding consumer confidence in the certified organic … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Four and half months after the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act stalled in the Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended version of the legislation. The $2.2 trillion stimulus package incorporates many provisions National Farmers Union … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – With just hours to spare, the Senate today narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution to fund federal agencies through December 11. The bill, which now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature, would also provide nearly $8 billion for nutrition assistance … Read More
By Charlie Michel, National Farmers Union Education and Outreach Coordinator When a statewide COVID-19 lockdown upended their food safety event planning, Mary Howell and Mercedes Taylor-Puckett of Kansas Farmers Union (KFU) were quick to respond with creative solutions for delivering on-farm education to Kansas growers. A primary challenge was reaching producers in cities like Wichita, … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Pandemic-related disruptions have exposed underlying weaknesses in our food and farm system, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew told the House Small Business Committee today during a hearing. In both verbal and written testimony, Larew highlighted the need for significant structural … Read More
By Hannah Packman, National Farmers Union Communications Director A year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) abruptly relocated two of its major research agencies – the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service) – from Washington, D.C. to Kansas City. The move forced dozens of experienced employees to quit, taking their expertise … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Higher octane fuels like mid- and high-level ethanol blends are mutually beneficial for drivers, farmers, and the environment. Recognizing this, Representative Cheri Bustos today introduced the Next Generation Fuels Act, which would increase gasoline octane to a minimum standard of 98 Research Octane Number … Read More
By Melanie Arthur, NFU Intern The Covid-19 pandemic has created new challenges for our food system, especially for those operating or working on farms or in food facilities. To simplify and streamline pandemic-related decisions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a new resource, the Employee Health … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 22, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – With government funding due to run out next week, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a continuing resolution that would keep federal agencies running through December 11. In addition to preventing a government shutdown, the stopgap measure would provide nearly $8 billion for … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 17, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – During a campaign rally tonight in Mosinee, Wisconsin, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would provide a second tranche of pandemic aid through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). He indicated that an additional $13 billion will … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2020 WASHINGTON – In light of the fact that racial and ethnic minority groups are vastly underrepresented in agricultural professions, National Farmers Union (NFU) and Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) are working together to foster diversity and inclusion in the field. During an online ceremony, NFU President … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 14, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON – After significant pushback from American farmers and the biofuels industry, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it would reject 68 requests for retroactive small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The decision comes nearly nine months after a Tenth Circuit Court decision that … Read More