Access to Markets: Homegrown by Heroes

October 31, 2017Beginning Farmers

By Natalie Grote, NFU Intern Many veterans, upon returning home from serving our country, discover a newfound passion for farming or ranching. After putting in hours of hard work to start their operations, farmer veterans are often determined to both make a living as well as bolster their local economies by selling their homemade products, … Read More

Cooperatives Build A Better World

October 30, 2017Blog

By Cathy Statz, Wisconsin Farmers Union Education Director A mobile home park resident. A dairy farmer. A college student. A produce grower. A home care worker. A hardware store owner. What do these people all have in common? Each is the owner of a business called a cooperative. Many of us in rural America are familiar … Read More

What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? COMET-Farm

October 30, 2017Climate Column

By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Farmers are a key participant in mitigating climate change. Agriculture is one of a few sectors that can sink existing atmospheric greenhouse gasses (GHGs) as well as reduce emissions moving forward. Environmental markets could compensate farmers for natural resource conservation benefits achieved on their land. A … Read More

Farmers Union Celebrates National Cooperative Month

October 26, 2017Blog

October is National Cooperative Month, a time when more than 29,000 cooperatives across the country advocate for the cooperative business model and its myriad benefits for co-op members, consumers, and local communities. Cooperatives are of particular importance in rural America, where they have offered both political and economic sovereignty for over a century. Farmers Union’s roots … Read More

Access to Markets: Farm to School

October 24, 2017Beginning Farmers

By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy A growing interest in local and regional food offers lucrative opportunities for beginning farmers, and growing farm products for these markets often require a less significant investment in land and equipment than other production methods would. However, direct-to-consumer sales do require that farmers spend a … Read More

What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? New York Climate Smart Communities Certification

October 23, 2017Climate Column

By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation The Climate Column has covered practices that allow farmers to reduce emissions and sink carbon into their soil, like no-till, as well as methods that help farmers secure the food system by adapting to the changing climate, like intercropping. As the harmful consequences of climate change increase, … Read More

Trump Administration Must Right the Ship on Biofuels Through 2018 RFS Obligations

October 19, 2017Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – As embattled farm, biofuel, and rural communities and economies look to the Trump Administration to maintain promises to support American biofuel production, National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling on the administration to increase Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume obligations when they finalize … Read More

NFU and UFCW Make Case for Meaningful NAFTA Improvements

October 18, 2017Press Releases

For Immediate Release October 18, 2017 Contact: ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON, D.C. — National Farmers Union (NFU) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union sent a joint letter to the Senate today describing how North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations could more broadly benefit American family farmers and meatpacking workers. In the letter, UFCW … Read More

NFU Deeply Disappointed by USDA Decision to Terminate Farmer Fair Practices Rules

October 17, 2017Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it would be terminating the Farmer Fair Practices Rule on Competitive Injury, a rule that would have provided the most basic of protections to American family farmers and ranchers as they endure increasingly concentrated markets … Read More

Access To Markets: Virginia Grown and State Labels 

October 11, 2017Beginning Farmers

By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy The market for local and regional food is an important one for beginning producers. A January 2015 report to Congress issued by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) notes that “producer participation in local food systems is growing, and the value of local food sales…appears to be … Read More