Editor’s Note: Guest posts do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Farmers Union. By Ash Bruxvoort, Women, Food and Agriculture Network Communications Coordinator & Plate to Politics Coordinator National Farmers Union (NFU) is home to incredible women leaders. That’s why Women, Food and Agriculture Network’s (WFAN) Plate to Politics program, a nationwide effort to … Read More
Editor’s Note: Guest posts do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Farmers Union. By Ash Bruxvoort, Women, Food and Agriculture Network Communications Coordinator & Plate to Politics Coordinator National Farmers Union (NFU) is home to incredible women leaders. That’s why Women, Food and Agriculture Network’s (WFAN) Plate to Politics program, a nationwide effort to … Read More
By Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern Cooperatives can provide services and products that help young and beginning farmers start up their own operations. Whether you are a dairy farmer, a grain farmer, or even a consumer in need of some tools, there are a variety of cooperatives, both regionally and nationally, that can cater to your … Read More
By Kiana Brockel, NFU Intern, & Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Regular readers of NFU’s Climate Column know there are many ways farmers can mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to … Read More
Editor’s Note: Guest posts do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Farmers Union. By Olivia Taylor-Puckett, Manager of the Lawrence Farmers’ Market When I walk through the Lawrence Farmers’ Market, the majority of the faces behind the tables are those of women. Ours is the oldest, and largest, producer-only market in Kansas, … Read More
Editor’s Note: Guest posts do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Farmers Union. By Olivia Taylor-Puckett, Manager of the Lawrence Farmers’ Market When I walk through the Lawrence Farmers’ Market, the majority of the faces behind the tables are those of women. Ours is the oldest, and largest, producer-only market in Kansas, … Read More
By Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern Cooperatives have proven to be one of the most beneficial business models, particularly in rural areas where certain services or products would be unavailable to residents. Businesses like credit unions, cooperatively owned grocery stores, and rural electric cooperatives, can provide not only services to a community, but job opportunities as … Read More
By Kiana Brockel, NFU Intern, & Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Regular Climate Column readers know that there are many actions farmers can take to mitigate the effects of climate change. There is no one-size-fits-all solution however – the appropriate approach depends on location and its climate, topography, crops grown, and … Read More
By Ashley Wegmueller of Bo & Olly’s Produce This week we continue with our Soil Sisters stories, so gather around the virtual farmstead kitchen table for a conversation with Ashley Wegmueller of Bo & Olly’s Produce. Ashley raises diversified vegetables while also helping her husband on their 4th-generation family dairy farm. Together, they are in … Read More
By Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern Cooperatives can come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it is a local grocery store stocked with all local products made from area producers or a large company like CHS, Inc. that provides many services nationwide, a cooperative caters to a specific need and improves access to goods or services … Read More
By April Prusia, Co-Owner/Operator of Dorothy’s Range Soil Sisters is a network of more than 150 Wisconsin women farmers who offer each other support, collaboration, and community. One of those women is April Prusia, who runs Dorothy’s Range, offering heritage pork, feeders and breeding stock as well as a farm experience with overnight rentals. The … Read More
By April Prusia, Co-Owner/Operator of Dorothy’s Range Soil Sisters is a network of more than 150 Wisconsin women farmers who offer each other support, collaboration, and community. One of those women is April Prusia, who runs Dorothy’s Range, offering heritage pork, feeders and breeding stock as well as a farm experience with overnight rentals. The … Read More
By Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern The most definitive aspect of the cooperative business model is that the members or producers own the business. This allows producers to drive their cooperative into the direction that benefits the producers, not private interests of outside stakeholders. With this power of directive comes the greater responsibility to stay active, … Read More
By Kiana Brockel, NFU Intern Climate Column readers know there are many things farmers can do to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to help interested farmers mitigate climate change and become more climate resilient. … Read More
By Lisa Kivirist, author, co-owner and operator of Inn Serendipity Farm and B&B Never underestimate what a bunch of women coming together for a potluck can do. What started now ten years ago as a regularly scheduled series of on-farm potlucks among local women farmers, gardeners and food enthusiasts in and around Green County, Wisconsin, … Read More
By Lisa Kivirist, author, co-owner and operator of Inn Serendipity Farm and B&B Never underestimate what a bunch of women coming together for a potluck can do. What started now ten years ago as a regularly scheduled series of on-farm potlucks among local women farmers, gardeners and food enthusiasts in and around Green County, Wisconsin, … Read More
By Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern No farmer can start a cooperative alone. Cooperatives are the product of collaboration among many individuals with a shared goal of providing a needed service within an area or community. Once a group of producers comes together and creates a business plan, community members, producers, and investors provide the funds … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Climate Column readers know that there are many things farmers can do to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), housed within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), offers farmers technical and financial support to abate climate change and become more climate … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Climate Column readers know there are many things farmers can do to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to help interested farmers abate climate change and … Read More
By Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern Farming can be a daunting career to pursue, especially as a young farmer or rancher in the current farm economy. Given the various barriers to entry, most beginning farmers cannot succeed without the help of others. Having a place to collaborate, profit, and educate other farmers not only supports beginning … Read More
By Kiana Brockel, NFU Intern On the Climate Column, we have discussed farm practices that can mitigate climate change and make farms more resilient to its effects, as well as government programs that assist farmers in implementing these practices. The support programs are important, but farmers may not be able to adopt many practices with … Read More
By Sophie Neems, Previous NFU Intern & Current Communications Specialist at Farm Credit The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports American farmers in a myriad of ways, primarily by offering services such as crop insurance, organic certification cost share, farmers market promotion, and rural development initiatives. But how does the USDA support women farmers specifically? The … Read More
By Chelsea Matzen, FSMA Project Director On June 5, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and U.S Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a joint effort to simplify produce safety requirements for farmers by aligning the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Audit Program with the requirements of the Food and Drug … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy, and Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern Here on the Climate Column, we have discussed the impacts climate change will have on your farm as well as management decisions you can make to cope with these changes. Longtime Climate Leaders know that there are many climate impacts … Read More
By Sophie Neems, Previous NFU Intern & Current Communications Specialist at Farm Credit There’s a noticeable new trend in farming demographics: the number of farmers coming to agriculture as a second career – many of whom are women – is growing. These female, first-generation producers must secure land, build an enterprise, and establish themselves within … Read More