Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 25, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON– Two months after announcing its intentions to provide a new package to assist family farmers and ranchers coping with trade damages, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released finalized details about the timing and calculation of direct payments to producers through the … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Today’s farmers have to do more than just grow food; running a successful operation requires a broad range of skills, including marketing, business management, mechanical repair, and agronomy. To more effectively meet the growing needs of family farmers and ranchers, National Farmers … Read More

New data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows that rural communities have the highest death rates nationwide from opioid prescriptions, more than three times the national average. A previously unreleased database from DEA tracking prescription painkillers showed that the highest per-capita opioid death rates from 2006 to 2012 were in rural communities in West Virginia, … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 18, 2019 Contact: Jenny Hopkinson, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) relocation of two major research agencies is “misguided” and “detrimental to family farmers and ranchers and rural communities,” according to the nation’s oldest general farm organization. National Farmers Union (NFU), whose 200,000 members support increased funding for public agricultural … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 9, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] BAILEY, Colo.– Farmers Union youth members from across the country convened last month for the 83rd annual National Farmers Union (NFU) All-States Leadership Camp. Hosted each June, the event encourages young adults to explore their leadership potential, discuss current events and important issues, learn more about … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 8, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– As Congressional leadership and the Trump administration work towards a compromise on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the country’s oldest general farm organization is urging additional improvements to the deal that could help to reduce health care costs and protect rural jobs before it is sent … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 5, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its proposed renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the year 2020. The proposal would set required biofuel use at 20.04 billion gallons next year, a marginal increase over this year’s 19.92 billion gallons. … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 20, 2019 WASHINGTON – Today, 35 farm and food organizations called on elected officials and candidates running for office to address the disproportionate market power held by the giant agribusinesses that dominate livestock and poultry markets. The list of priorities for creating fair and competitive markets for family farmers is endorsed by groups … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 13, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– Ten months after introducing a plan to relocate and reorganize two major agricultural research agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will move the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS) to the Kansas City Region. … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 12, 2019 MINNEAPOLIS– As the average age of the American farmer approaches 60, National Farmers Union (NFU) and the National FFA Organization are working together to cultivate the next generation of American agricultural professionals. At a ceremony in Minneapolis, Minnesota, NFU President Roger Johnson and National FFA Organization CEO Mark Poeschl formalized … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 5, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– During a hearing held today by the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research, key stakeholders expressed concerns about the current and potential ramifications of reorganizing and relocating two major agricultural research agencies. In accordance with previous announcements, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 31, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued a final rule that will permit year-round sale of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol, also known as E15. The rule’s finalization comes just in time to allow for summertime use of E15 this year, but does not … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 23, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released initial details for a trade assistance package to support family farmers and ranchers struggling with oversupply and low prices due to international trade conflicts. The agency plans to allocate as much as $16 billion, including $14.5 billion … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 22, 2019 Washington, D.C. — Today, a broad-based coalition of 219 farm, food, rural, faith and consumer advocacy organizations delivered a letter to Congress endorsing food and agribusiness merger moratorium bills introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Jon Tester (D-MT) and Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI). The Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 21, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry today held a hearing dedicated to the issue of climate change and the agricultural sector. In written testimony, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson thanked the committee for addressing the deleterious effects of climate change … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 16, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON – Despite concerns about how it would affect the  quality, quantity, and objectivity of agricultural research, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rushing forward with plans to move the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS), two major … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 15, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON – Following the recent escalation of trade tensions between China and the United States that will likely exacerbate the erosion of agricultural export markets and further depress commodity prices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to announce a trade assistance package to support … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 9, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON – On the heels of unsuccessful trade negotiations with China, the White House is expected to increase tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods early Friday morning. President Donald Trump has also threatened to levy duties on an … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 30, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON – In response to sustained depressed milk prices, chronic oversupply, farm-level consolidation, and a wave of farm closures, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture today held a hearing on the state of the dairy economy. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 29, 2019 Contact: Alexis Dunnum, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – In the midst of significant financial stress in the U.S. farm economy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must deliver on the promises of President Trump and the intent of Congress to expand the use of biofuels and, therefore, demand for U.S. … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 25, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – For every dollar American consumers spend on food, U.S. farmers and ranchers earn just 14.6 cents, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). This value marks a 17 percent decline since 2011 … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 18, 2019 Contact: Andrew Jerome, [email protected] WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works towards allowing year-round use of E15 gasoline, National Farmers Union (NFU) is concerned EPA’s proposed rule will make it harder for retailers to sell higher level blends of ethanol. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 11, 2019 Contact: Andrew Jerome, [email protected] WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, the most complete set of data for American agriculture available. The Census, taken every five years, provides an abundance of information about land use, farm ownership and decision-making, demographics, … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2019 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202.314.3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Amidst escalating rhetoric and threats from President Donald Trump to close the U.S.-Mexico border, National Farmers Union (NFU) today insisted the President avoid such a “disastrous” decision, which would effectively cripple trade with U.S. agriculture’s top trading partner. NFU President Roger Johnson … Read More

Washington, DC, April 2, 2019 – Having succeeded in protecting funding for the Conservation Title in the 2018 Farm Bill, more than 140 leading farm, conservation, and wildlife groups are once again joining together to protect those hard-fought conservation funds and programs in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations process. In a letter delivered today, … Read More