By Barbara Patterson, government relations representative, National Farmers Union Earlier today, trade ministers from each of the twelve Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries held a joint press conference in Atlanta to announce that after seven years of negotiations the group had come to an agreement. This trade agreement is a major deal that, if ratified, will … Read More
Blog
Our Farmers and Ranchers Perform a Public Service
By Congressman Chris Gibson (NY-19) The average age of the American farmer is 58, and farmers over the age of 65 outnumber farmers under the age of 35 by a margin of six to one. As the majority of our farmers near retirement, we will need at least 100,000 new farmers to take their place. … Read More
Cooperatives: A Tool for Empowering Rural America
By Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union October is National Cooperative Month, a point on the calendar when more than 29,000 cooperatives from across the nation undertake some form of educational outreach to ensure that people better understand the cooperative business model and how it can improve life for rural Americans. And cooperatives are more … Read More
Government Shutdown: Devastating for Family Farmers and Rural America
By Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union We’ve been here before. Two years ago, an early October blizzard – the Atlas storm – buried western South Dakota in three feet of snow, killing tens of thousands of cattle and wiping out entire herds. Ranchers, devastated, looked to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for help. … Read More
New England Farmers Union Awarded 2 RD Grants
New England Farmers Union was awarded two of 385 grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Development Grant program. The USDA committed $20 million in funds across the nation to help support the start-up or expansion of rural small businesses. The education foundation of the New England Farmers Union received funding for our work on … Read More
More Than $3 Million of Taxpayer Funds Spent to Clean Up Smithfield
By Barbara Patterson, government relations representative, National Farmers Union The town of Smithfield, Virginia, located in the southeast part of the state, has a long history of animal production. The famous Smithfield ham, a product with a geographical indicator that requires all of its production be done within the city limits, originated in the town … Read More
Thanks to USDA for Investing in Biofuels
By Tom Driscoll, government relations representative, National Farmers Union The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently took important steps in building climate resiliency, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs to pay attention. Climate change jeopardizes the security of the global food system and the viability of family farms and rural communities. Farmers and ranchers … Read More
As Crop Prices Drop, Producer Resiliency and Farm Programs to Be Tested
By Zack Clark, government relations representative, National Farmers Union The August release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) World Supply and Demand (WASDE) report drove low crop prices lower on the news of higher than expected production after a particularly wet spring in parts of the Midwest. Sustained low prices are impacting the rural … Read More
Grassroots Activists Have Come to Washington For Generations To Make Things Happen
By Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union For generations, Farmers Union activists have come from across the land by bus, plane, automobile or train to bring the issues affecting the nation’s farm families directly to their members of Congress. And some of the participants have made several dozen trips to the nation’s capital over the … Read More
NFU Salutes Three Member States on 100-Year Anniversary; Commends A Century of Activism on Behalf of Family Farmers, Ranchers
By Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union NFU ‘s strength, as a federation of member states, relies largely on the activism, energy and commitment of its members, who are engaged in all aspects of policy making. Three Farmers Union states are observing their 100th year anniversary in 2015, and should all be commended for a … Read More