John Hansen is president of the Nebraska Farmers Union and served as a U.S. Trade Representative trade adviser for three administrations for 14 years starting in 1994. TPA, also known as Fast Track Authority, provides the administration with trade-negotiating direction and authority while also forcing Congress to vote up or down on trade proposals without … Read More
Month: April 2015
Trade Promises Have Failed to Materialize
By Roger Noonan, president, New England Farmers Union Promises of expanded trade benefiting U.S. farmers and rural communities have been made during the debates for NAFTA, CAFTA, and the U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreements and now the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). These benefits have failed to materialize. Instead, rural communities have been roiled by profound economic instability. … Read More
New Dairy Training Program Brings in Beginning Farmers
Conventional dairy is in decline and the average age of dairy farmers in Maine is approaching 60. Too few young people are entering organic dairy. Meanwhile, the demand for organic milk is increasing at a dramatic rate, creating a nationwide shortage of organic milk. To address these challenges, Wolfe’s Neck Farm, an educational nonprofit farm … Read More
Dairy Farmer Chelsea Kruse on Finding Farming
Chelsea Kruse delivered this talk at the National Farmers Union convention in Wichita, Kansas, in March. My name is Chelsea Kruse, I’m a member of New England Farmers Union and a student of the 2014 Beginning Farmers Institute. I grew up in a very rural and unknown corner of New Hampshire, but I have no … Read More
Finding Farming
By Chelsea Kruse, 2014/2015 Beginning Farmer Institute participant My name is Chelsea Kruse, I’m a member of New England Farmers Union and a student of the 2014 Beginning Farmers Institute. I grew up in a very rural and unknown corner of New Hampshire, but I have no beginning in agriculture, no familial ties into farming. My … Read More
NFU Urges Congress to Maintain Constitutional Authority by Rejecting TPA; Says TPA Fails to Address Currency Manipulation, Balance Trade Deficit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 22, 2015) Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (April 22, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today submitted testimony to both the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, urging Congress to reject Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation that does not … Read More
NFU Salutes Earth Day, Family Farmers as the Original Conservationists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 22, 2015 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (April 22, 2015) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today saluted Earth Day and family farmers, ranchers and fisherman for their role in protecting the earth while providing the world with a safe and abundant food supply. “America’s family farmers and … Read More
NFU 2015 Policy
Click here for the PDF Policy of the National Farmers Union Enacted by delegates to the 113th anniversary convention Wichita, KS March 14-17, 2015 National Farmers Union Mission and Vision Statements Mission – To advocate for the economic and social well-being, and quality of life of family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and consumers and their communities … Read More
Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley Events Support Farmers
New England Farmers Union was proud to sponsor two great events in April, the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) summit at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the PVGrows Spring Forum at Open Square in Holyoke. The two events were quite different in scale — the FINE gathering drew 600 attendees from throughout the … Read More
Tell Congress: Fast Track is the Wrong Track for U.S. Food and Farmers
Congress has just introduced Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. This bill would all but ensure that the Trans-Pacific Partnership would go through. It hands over the Constitutional authority of Congress to review trade agreements to the President. Many members of Congress have yet to declare their position on TPA. They need to hear from their … Read More