The RFS Helped Light South Dakota’s Economy on Fire

 By Doug Sombke, president, South Dakota Farmers Union For most of my life, making a living as a farmer meant trying to make ends meet knowing that commodity prices were almost always going to be relatively flat, while production costs rose yearly. The price of a bushel of corn was stuck in the $2.00 range … Read More

RFS: A Shot in the Arm to Rural America

 By Jim Benham, president, Indiana Farmers Union It seems Indiana’s farmers are facing too much rain, or drought; or it’s too hot too early, or too cold to soon, or there’s the late spring freeze or the early fall freeze. It’s either feast or famine in farming, and we’ve developed tools and techniques for coping … Read More

Broad Coalition of 283 Delivers Letter to the House Urging Rejection of COOL Repeal Bill  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 8, 2015 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON (June 8, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) today joined 282 other organizations representing farm interests, rural America, faith, environment, farmworker and consumers in urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to reject the repeal of the Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) law and support commonsense … Read More

NFU Asserts Climate-Related Food Security Concerns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2015 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON (June 5, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson filed comments today on the United States Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP) draft report, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment (Climate and Health Assessment). The Climate and Health … Read More

NFU Asserts Climate-Related Food Security Concerns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2015 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON (June 5, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson filed comments today on the United States Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP) draft report, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment (Climate and Health Assessment). The Climate and Health … Read More

Conservation Reserve Program Sign-Up

 By Daniela Silva, government relations intern, National Farmers Union Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be accepting new applications starting December 1, 2015, through February 26, 2016, to participate in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Secretary Vilsack is specifically targeting the “800,000 additional acres of highly … Read More

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Congress Must Allow the RFS to Keep Rural America Blooming

 By Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union Before the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was enacted in 2008, commodity prices had been flat for decades, investment in rural America was negligible and the prospect of prosperity for many family farmers seemed like a dream that had been lost. The passage of the RFS was like a … Read More

NFU Urges USDA to Strengthen Payment Limitations and Eligibility

WASHINGTON (May 26, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today urged the U.S. Department Of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen payment limitations and payment eligibility for certain USDA farm programs. “Our grassroots policy has long held that the primary objectives of national agricultural policy should be to enable family farmers to significantly increase … Read More

NFU Urges USDA to Strengthen Payment Limitations and Eligibility

WASHINGTON (May 26, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today urged the U.S. Department Of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen payment limitations and payment eligibility for certain USDA farm programs. “Our grassroots policy has long held that the primary objectives of national agricultural policy should be to enable family farmers to significantly increase … Read More

NFU Urges Congress to Vote Against COOL Repeal Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 22, 2015) Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON (May 22, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today urged members of Congress to vote against recent legislation passed in the House Agriculture Committee that would repeal portions of Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), citing possible food safety issues, the bill’s overreach, … Read More

NFU Urges Congress to Vote Against COOL Repeal Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 22, 2015) Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON (May 22, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today urged members of Congress to vote against recent legislation passed in the House Agriculture Committee that would repeal portions of Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), citing possible food safety issues, the bill’s overreach, … Read More

Congress Needs to Leave COOL Alone

 By Darin Von Ruden, president, Wisconsin Farmers Union Nobody seemed to care where their pet treats came from until dogs started dropping dead from eating tainted treats, mostly from China. Since 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received more than 5,800 complaints from consumers about their pets getting sick and, sadly, over 1,000 … Read More

White House Issues Plan for Pollinators

By Tom Driscoll, government relations representative, National Farmers Union On Tuesday, May 19, the White House’s Pollinator Health Task Force released the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. The strategy includes: calls for additional funds for pollinator health research, increased and improved pollinator habitat through conservation programs, enhanced management of … Read More

Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Hears from EPA

By Tom Driscoll, government relations representative, National Farmers Union The Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), a federal advisory committee composed of diverse stakeholders and tasked with providing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) feedback on various pesticide regulatory, policy and program implementation issues, met in the D.C. metro area this week. EPA officials addressed the … Read More

Funds Available to Offset Organic Certification Costs

By Barbara Patterson, government relations representative, National Farmers Union National Farmers Union (NFU) recognizes the increasing importance of organic family farming. While the organic market continues to grow, NFU will advocate ensuring accreditation and certification costs do not discriminate against small producers. One way to assist small organic producers to support their continued viability is … Read More

COOL: We Fought Hard for A Generation to Win This, And We’re Not Giving Up Now

 By Kent Peppler, president, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Although Congress passed a law requiring that meats have their origins on their label in 2002, corporate interests in the U.S. and our chief trade competitors – Canada and Mexico  – have tried every trick imaginable to block the country-of-origin-labeling law from staying on the books. Now, … Read More

Grants Available to Fund Rural Business Development

By Barbara Patterson, government relations representative, National Farmers Union The renewal of rural America through increased business and agriculture cooperative development remains at the forefront of Farmers Union’s mission. One program for these purposes is the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG), something NFU has been an advocate for since the mid-1990s. NFU voiced its support for the program during the … Read More