By Sophie Neems, NFU Intern ‘Tis the season. . . for agricultural conferences! The harvest is done and the cows have been moved to winter pasture, which means that educational opportunities for farmers and ranchers abound. However, here at National Farmers Union, we understand that it’s not always possible to leave the farm unattended and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy NFU’s Climate Column has covered a number of farming practices, including conservation tillage and rotational grazing, that can help farmers increase profits by saving money on inputs, energy, and labor. Beginning farmers can receive assistance to implement such practices, as well as incentive payments for the environmental benefits … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation As we’ve noted on the Climate Column, climate change will disturb the precipitation patterns and temperatures on which farmers rely to grow crops. Farmers will need to adapt to these changes by implementing new practices and readjusting old ones. One option is selecting seeds for staple crops – … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 21, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Farmers and ranchers take home just 11.4 cents from every dollar that consumers spend on their Thanksgiving dinner meals, according to the annual Thanksgiving edition of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Farmer’s Share publication. The popular Thanksgiving Farmer’s Share compares the retail … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 21, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Farmers and ranchers take home just 11.4 cents from every dollar that consumers spend on their Thanksgiving dinner meals, according to the annual Thanksgiving edition of the National Farmers Union (NFU) Farmer’s Share publication. The popular Thanksgiving Farmer’s Share compares the retail … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 227-205 to approve the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a bill that would provide tax cuts and breaks to corporations and wealthy Americans at an estimated cost of $1.5 trillion. National Farmers Union (NFU), a … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 227-205 to approve the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a bill that would provide tax cuts and breaks to corporations and wealthy Americans at an estimated cost of $1.5 trillion. National Farmers Union (NFU), a … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 14, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Amidst the steepest drop in farm profitability in a generation, U.S. Congressional leadership is proposing tax reform legislation that would jeopardize all funding for farm bill commodity safety net programs. The two tax bills being considered in both the U.S. Senate and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy As we discussed last week on the Beginning Farmer Forum, the business infrastructure – such as federally-inspected livestock processing facilities for smaller orders and mills that service demand for local feed or flour – that would help beginning farmers connect with emerging markets often doesn’t exist … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 14, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Amidst the steepest drop in farm profitability in a generation, U.S. Congressional leadership is proposing tax reform legislation that would jeopardize all funding for farm bill commodity safety net programs. The two tax bills being considered in both the U.S. Senate and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Farming is one of the few professions with the ability to not only reduce ongoing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but to also remove existing GHGs from the atmosphere. National Farmers Union supports policies and programs that maximize agriculture’s GHG elimination potential by offering value to farmers … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 9, 2017 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate leadership today released its plan for comprehensive tax reform. The legislation differs in many ways from its counterpart released by the U.S. House of Representatives a week ago. The plan would comprise a greater number of individual tax brackets, limit … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 9, 2017 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate leadership today released its plan for comprehensive tax reform. The legislation differs in many ways from its counterpart released by the U.S. House of Representatives a week ago. The plan would comprise a greater number of individual tax brackets, limit … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union joined a coalition of 82 farm, rural and consumers groups today in sending a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to implement the Farmer Fair Practices Rules via executive order. The rules would provide the most basic of … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy As we’ve discussed here on the Beginning Farmer Forum, access to markets is among the greatest challenges for new producers. Oftentimes, beginning farmers face fewer obstacles in emerging markets than in well-established ones. For example, beginning farmers may be able to grow products appropriate for local and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy As we’ve discussed here on the Beginning Farmer Forum, access to markets is among the greatest challenges for new producers. Oftentimes, beginning farmers face fewer obstacles in emerging markets than in well-established ones. For example, beginning farmers may be able to grow products appropriate for local and … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union joined a coalition of 82 farm, rural and consumers groups today in sending a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to implement the Farmer Fair Practices Rules via executive order. The rules would provide the most basic of … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Environmental markets, in addition to being science based, quantifiable, innovative, and permanent, will have to offer farmers adequate incentives to adopt new conservation practices. Cases in which a single practice achieves more than one quantifiable environmental benefit, verifiably reducing more than one pollutant, payments for credits … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – U.S. House of Representatives leadership today released its blueprint for sweeping tax reform, including significant cuts to individual and corporate tax rates and eventual repeal of the estate tax. The plan is estimated to cost $1.51 trillion over the next decade. In … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – U.S. House of Representatives leadership today released its blueprint for sweeping tax reform, including significant cuts to individual and corporate tax rates and eventual repeal of the estate tax. The plan is estimated to cost $1.51 trillion over the next decade. In … Read More
By Natalie Grote, NFU Intern Many veterans, upon returning home from serving our country, discover a newfound passion for farming or ranching. After putting in hours of hard work to start their operations, farmer veterans are often determined to both make a living as well as bolster their local economies by selling their homemade products, … Read More
By Cathy Statz, Wisconsin Farmers Union Education Director A mobile home park resident. A dairy farmer. A college student. A produce grower. A home care worker. A hardware store owner. What do these people all have in common? Each is the owner of a business called a cooperative. Many of us in rural America are familiar … Read More
By Cathy Statz, Wisconsin Farmers Union Education Director A mobile home park resident. A dairy farmer. A college student. A produce grower. A home care worker. A hardware store owner. What do these people all have in common? Each is the owner of a business called a cooperative. Many of us in rural America are familiar … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Farmers are a key participant in mitigating climate change. Agriculture is one of a few sectors that can sink existing atmospheric greenhouse gasses (GHGs) as well as reduce emissions moving forward. Environmental markets could compensate farmers for natural resource conservation benefits achieved on their land. A … Read More
October is National Cooperative Month, a time when more than 29,000 cooperatives across the country advocate for the cooperative business model and its myriad benefits for co-op members, consumers, and local communities. Cooperatives are of particular importance in rural America, where they have offered both political and economic sovereignty for over a century. Farmers Union’s roots … Read More