By Michelle McKenzie, Co-Manager of Bellair Farm Farming for a season is hard work. Leading a crew all the way through a season and knowing you will do it all again next year is even harder work! Keeping your crew’s trust and respect is the best way to get through it all successfully. I’ve been co-managing … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Climate change been the cause, both directly and indirectly, of various challenges for agricultural producers. This list includes extreme droughts and floods, irregular growing seasons, animal and crop disease transmission, and pest migration. Another seemingly perpetual issue exacerbated by climate change is weed growth. Weeds are invasive plant species genetically … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Climate change been the cause, both directly and indirectly, of various challenges for agricultural producers. This list includes extreme droughts and floods, irregular growing seasons, animal and crop disease transmission, and pest migration. Another seemingly perpetual issue exacerbated by climate change is weed growth. Weeds are invasive plant species genetically … Read More
By Nate Brownlee, Co-Owner and Operator of Nightfall Farm Here at Nightfall Farm, Liz and I are committed to farm in ways that conserve our natural resources, having rooted our business in the model of the triple bottom line—environmental, social, and financial. When I think back to the first season of our farm, I recall … Read More
By Nate Brownlee, Co-Owner and Operator of Nightfall Farm Here at Nightfall Farm, Liz and I are committed to farm in ways that conserve our natural resources, having rooted our business in the model of the triple bottom line—environmental, social, and financial. When I think back to the first season of our farm, I recall … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy If you are a regular Climate Column reader, you likely appreciate that deliberate action undertaken by farmers, policymakers and food value chain participants will make domestic and global food systems more resilient to the negative impacts of climate change. But every actor in the food … Read More
By Hannah Ruth Tabler, NFU Intern For beginning farmers, getting a start in the agriculture industry can be difficult. Without a supportive network and educational resources, aspiring growers can find themselves at a loss for where to start in an industry where connection is key. Thankfully, organizations like the Indiana Cooperative Development Center offer support … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Bees contribute to the economy and health of the environment. In addition to their notoriety for honey production, bees also provide the versatile substance known as beeswax, and they are imperative to 30 percent of the world’s crop production, pollinating many fruit, vegetable, and flower species, as well as 90 percent … Read More
By Matthew McKenna, Executive in Residence, Rural Opportunity Initiative, a program at Georgetown University’s Global Social Enterprise Initiative, part of the McDonough School of Business The United States has experienced an historic geographic imbalance in its recovery from the Great Recession. Rural America significantly lags the economic advances enjoyed by their more prosperous urban neighbors. … Read More
By Hannah Ruth Tabler, NFU Intern Many beginning farmers, after earning enough experience to feel confident starting their own operation, cannot afford the high upfront costs associated with such an endeavor. At the same time, new producers often lack extensive credit history or adequate collateral for traditional loan providers. This makes it difficult to start … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Fire is often thought of as a destructive and uncontrollable natural disturbance, causing catastrophic damage to agricultural operations of all types. But did you know that fire can actually be used as a tool to protect and increase productivity on your land? Prescribed burning is an advanced land management technique … Read More
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Coordinator Although farmers and ranchers with all levels of experience rely on farm bill programs for technical and financial assistance, they are of particular importance to beginning farmers. Beginning farmers, by definition, do not have access to many of the same resources more established producers do. Most obviously, newcomers do … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy On the Climate Column, we have highlighted a number of climate-smart production and conservation practices for which farmers may receive technical and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Congress authorizes NRCS to disperse this assistance to farmers through the … Read More
By Hannah Ruth Tabler, NFU Intern For beginning farmers, getting a foothold in the agriculture industry can be difficult. One of the foremost challenges facing beginning farmers today is a lack of access to appropriate markets. Many farmers, young and old, have turned to the cooperative business model to increase their profit and reap the … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Communities across America depend on farmers and ranchers for a variety of provisions, and those producers’ livelihoods rely on being able to supply them. As uncontrollable environmental setbacks continue to occur with greater severity and frequency, farmers and ranchers should consider taking precautions to protect their operations from drastic losses. … Read More
By Hannah Ruth Tabler, NFU Intern For beginning farmers, getting a foothold in the agriculture industry can be difficult. One of the foremost challenges facing beginning farmers today is a lack of access to appropriate markets. Many farmers, young and old, have turned to the cooperative business model to increase their profit and reap the … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern The nursery tree and greenhouse industry is rapidly growing and contributing to the agricultural economy. However, climate change does not discriminate – irregular and extreme weather events interfere with anticipated growing seasons and production yields for essentially all agricultural sectors. When such events occur, farmers and ranchers largely rely on government-run … Read More
By Nate Brownlee, Co-Owner and Operator of Nightfall Farm When you start a farm, there’s no definite starting point. Well before you ever have plants in the ground or animals to graze, you’re already deep into planning and dreaming. By the time we moved home from New England, we already knew (roughly) what we wanted … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern In 2017, flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters accounted for approximately $5 billion worth of economic losses in the US agriculture sector. The toll is expected to increase as climate change intensifies the strength and duration of these weather events. As a direct result, the amount of physical damage … Read More
By Sherri Dugger, Indiana Farmers Union Media and Outreach Director, Co-owner and Operator of Dugger Family Farm If you asked me whether you should become a farmer, on my worst days, I might tell you “no.” Or, first, I might ask several questions: Do you know what products you will sell? Do you have access … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Abnormal weather patterns have increasingly made livestock producers vulnerable to reduced outputs. Previously on the Climate Column, we’ve discussed tools developed by the U.S. Department Agriculture (USDA) that assist farmers with preparations for droughts and higher temperatures, but there are also programs that provide financial compensation and assistance for extreme … Read More
Transcribed by Tom Giessel, NFU Historian, and Sheryl Giessel; Commentary by Tom Giessel, Sherly Giessel and Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy National Farmers Union’s mission is to advocate for the economic and social well-being and quality of life of family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and consumers and their communities. Very frequently in contemporary times, … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy A 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bulletin notes that ongoing monitoring of climate data has led experts to anticipate “an increase in areas experiencing droughts and the occurrence of more intense precipitation events.” It’s self-evident to farmers and ranchers that greater incidence of these … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 5, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The strength, diversity and success of modern family farm agriculture is the result of hardworking men and women across the industry, and three individuals have gone above and beyond to ensure that success and the well-being of family farmers, ranchers and … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 5, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The strength, diversity and success of modern family farm agriculture is the result of hardworking men and women across the industry, and three individuals have gone above and beyond to ensure that success and the well-being of family farmers, ranchers and … Read More