By Billy Mitchell, FSMA Training Coordinator Like a moth to a glowing jack-o’-lantern, you may be drawn towards towering shelves of mass-produced candy this Halloween season and tricked into thinking that local treats are a thing of the past. Do not be scared: farm-made, value-added products are alive and well in 2020. The old classics, … Read More
Month: October 2020
Facing the Constant Threat of Climate Change, Farmers Cope with Grief and Stress
By Jeanne Janson, NFU Journalism Intern From mid-August through the end of September, Megan Brown spent countless hours fireproofing the livestock enclosures at her family’s ranch in Northern California and preparing to evacuate should the LNU Lightning Complex Fire—the third most destructive in the state’s history—get too close. Unfortunately, this has become a sort of … Read More
NFU Welcomes Fourteen Participants to its Beginning Farmer Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – As part of its ongoing efforts to support the next generation of American agriculture, National Farmers Union (NFU) today announced that fourteen participants had been selected for its tenth Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) cohort. Over the course of ten months, these beginning … Read More
TUCCA Steers Food Safety Education in New Direction
By Melanie Arthur, NFU Intern “Parking lot, go ahead and blow your horns. Let everybody know that you are here!” food safety trainer and technical service provider Darrell McGuire shouted at the crowd. Alabama farmers and ranchers – who had drove their vehicles up to the Bethel Spring Missionary Baptist Church to hear speakers present … Read More
The Indigenous Origins of Regenerative Agriculture
By Tracy Heim, NFU Intern On the second Monday of every October, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated across the United States to honor the original inhabitants of the Americas. On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Farmers Union (NFU) celebrates the invaluable contributions of Native Americans and the Indigenous origins of many practices currently used in … Read More
Final Rule Fails to Address Structural Flaws in Conservation Stewardship Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a final rule detailing updates to its Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill. In comparison to the interim rule, the final version places a greater emphasis on soil health – … Read More
Farmers Union Rebukes Trump’s Refusal to Consider Pandemic Relief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 6, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737hpackman@nfudc.org Though millions of Americans are enduring unemployment, food insecurity, the possibility of eviction, and other hardships because of the pandemic, President Donald Trump today indicated that he would not consider another stimulus package until after the election. Out of concern for hungry Americans, struggling rural communities, … Read More
Proposed Rule Would Deter Organic Fraud, Strengthen Label’s Integrity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The National Organic Program (NOP) opens economic opportunities and new markets for American farmers – but in the last several years, millions of dollars of non-organic products have been intentionally mislabeled and sold as organic, eroding consumer confidence in the certified organic … Read More
Stimulus Package Includes Critical Relief for Hungry Americans, Struggling Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – Four and half months after the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act stalled in the Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended version of the legislation. The $2.2 trillion stimulus package incorporates many provisions National Farmers Union … Read More