FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2019
Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106
ajerome@nfudc.org
WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union (NFU) mourns the loss of former NFU President Cyril H. Carpenter, who passed away on February 4, 2019.
Carpenter grew up on a family farm in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, joining Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) as a lobbyist and secretary in 1965. He served as president of MFU from 1972-1984, and in 1984, he was elected by NFU membership to serve as president, a position he held until 1988. In 1989, the NFU Board of Directors honored Carpenter with a Meritorious Service Award to Agriculture and to World Agriculture, the organization’s highest honor.
NFU President Roger Johnson issued the following statement on the passing of Cy Carpenter:
“The Farmers Union family mourns the loss of former NFU President Cy Carpenter, who passed away on Monday.
“Cy was a Farmers Union advocate for life, from the time he joined the organization at 23 years of age until the time he passed. He was a forward thinker and a leader at a tough juncture for family farm agriculture.
“Cy came from farm country—north central United States—and his contributions to not only the state of Minnesota, but to that region and to our country as a whole are significant. He believed in promoting innovative and progressive policies that strengthen farm operations and rural economies. He developed important coalitions within family farm agriculture, as well as with labor and rural groups. And he ensured state and federal-level policy victories for family farmers, particularly for young farmers, including military veterans returning home to farm.
“Today we honor the life and legacy of Cy Carpenter. Our organization and members are eternally grateful to Cy for his contributions to Farmers Union and family farm agriculture.”
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National Farmers Union advocates on behalf of nearly 200,000 American farm families and their communities. We envision a world in which farm families and their communities are respected, valued, and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice.
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