FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 2, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Ruling in favor of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit today overturned part of a 2019 rule that permitted the year-round sale of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol. The decision comes as a blow to … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – In its latest move to facilitate pandemic recovery, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced additional aid for agricultural producers and businesses, including timber harvesters, biofuels producers, dairy farmers and processors, and livestock farmers and contract poultry growers. The initiative also includes … Read More
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By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director You’ve likely heard the buzz that Bill Gates, in addition to being one of the wealthiest men in the world, is now also the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Over the past several years, the billionaire has amassed a portfolio of 242,000 acres of cropland across … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 11, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Like nearly all American farmers and ranchers, Clay Pope has experienced more frequent and severe weather extremes in recent years as a result of climate change. But with the support of voluntary, incentive-based government programs, the Oklahoma Farmers Union member and sixth-generation rancher has made … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The National Farmers Union (NFU) 119th Anniversary Convention concluded today following the enactment of policy positions and priorities that support American farm and ranch families and strengthen rural communities. For the first time in the organization’s history, the event was held entirely online – a fact that did not … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to submit a status report every 60 days “on its progress in complying with the court’s remand” stemming from the July 2017 ruling in … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – In its final hours under President Donald Trump’s jurisdiction, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued three waivers retroactively exempting oil refineries from their 2018 and 2019 obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The decision comes on the heels of the … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – After months of negotiations, Congress today passed a $900 billion pandemic relief bill. As the pandemic has worn on over the last several months, National Farmers Union (NFU) has repeatedly urged legislators to provide American families and businesses with the help they need … 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
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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 14, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – As a global pandemic and extreme weather events batter an already weak agricultural economy, more than 400 farmers, ranchers, and rural residents are gathering online this week to speak directly with their elected representatives and administration officials as part of National Farmers … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 [email protected] WASHINGTON – As a global pandemic and extreme weather events batter an already weak agricultural economy, hundreds of farmers, ranchers, and rural residents will gather online next week to speak directly with their elected representatives and administration officials as part of National Farmers Union’s (NFU) virtual … Read More
Over the past several years, family farmers and ranchers have endured low crop prices, global trade wars, and bad weather – and this year hasn’t brought the long-overdue relief many had hoped for. Instead, a global pandemic has compounded the difficulties that farmers and rural communities were already grappling with: extreme concentration in food production … Read More
By Jenny Hopkinson, NFU Senior Government Relations Representative It seems everyone in Washington is talking about agriculture’s role in combatting climate change. Across the government, officials are embracing the need for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving soil health – both of which are key for addressing the climate crisis. This summer, there was a … Read More
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director Climate change is not a future or hypothetical problem – year after year, farmers and ranchers across the country are enduring more frequent and extreme weather events and natural disasters. This year has been no different. In California, dozens of fires have burned through hundreds of thousands of acres, destroying farm … Read More
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 Agency (EPA) had improperly issued small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the agency revealed that it has 98 pending requests for … Read More
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 it clear that family farmers and rural communities require additional support to withstand these trying times. In a letter sent today to Senate leadership, National … Read More
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 present a critical solution for both, according to National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew. In testimony presented today to the U.S. Senate Committee on … Read More
May 15, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a $3 trillion relief and stimulus bill, known as the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. The legislation would provide funding for health services, … Read More
Policy of the National Farmers Union Click here for the PDF version 2024 Special Orders of Business
By Rob Larew, NFU President Today, National Farmers Union is unveiling to our members a new climate change resource center as part of our effort to support sound federal policy and the efforts of U.S. family farmers and ranchers in responding to the effects of global warming. Through this new website, we hope to share … Read More
U.S. family farmers and ranchers must be at the table with lawmakers as they look to enact policies that seek to address climate change. Agriculture has a key role to play in helping the United States adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Land management practices can both capture carbon and help the … Read More
While there are opportunities that could be realized with sound climate change policies for agriculture, lawmakers do not need to start from scratch. Universities, research organizations, and state and federal governments are developing and investing in the creation of new land management techniques, technologies, and other best practices farmers and ranchers can employ to improve … Read More
March 31, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – In the final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today relaxed fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards for model year 2021-2026 passenger vehicles. When the rule was initially proposed over a year ago, National Farmers … Read More