Secretary Vilsack, General Clark to Keynote NFU Convention

February 11, 2016Farm Tours, Farmer Leaders, Grass Roots Policy, National Farmers Union, NEFU Members, USDA

Farmers and ranchers attending the National Farmers Union (NFU) 114th Anniversary Convention will have the opportunity to hear from high-ranking experts in food and ag policy. NFU is pleased to announce U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and General Wesley Clark as keynote speakers at the annual convention, which kicks off March 5 and … Read More

Direct Marketing is Invaluable for Consumer Education on Agriculture

February 3, 2016Beginning Farmers, Consumers, Direct to Consumer, Farm Bill, farm-to-school, Farmer Leaders, Farmers Markets, Grass Roots Policy, House Agriculture Committee, Meat and Poultry, National Farmers Union, NEFU Members, USDA

GUEST BLOG POST By Katie Fisher, government relations intern, National Farmers Union On Feb. 2, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research held a hearing examining the opportunities and challenges in direct marketing. It provided first-hand accounts from farmers and ranchers involved in direct marketing ventures, such as local farmers markets, direct to restaurant or … Read More

Women Farmer Leaders Meet in Florida

January 25, 2016Farmer Leaders, National Farmers Union, Women Producers

National Farmers Union’s Women’s Conference, Women Making Moves, in Clearwater, Florida, began this weekend! We have one New England member attending: New England Farmers Union staffer Emma Sabella. Travel plans for dairy farmer Allie Bates from Springside Farms in New Vinyard, Maine, were thrown off by the snowstorm and she couldn’t attend.   Sabella reports on several sessions … Read More

Member Profile: Steve Normanton

December 4, 2015Climate Change, Conservation, Country of Origin Labeling, Direct to Consumer, Diversified Farms, Farmer Leaders, Farmer Profile, Meat and Poultry, NEFU Members, Organic Producers, Trade

Steve Normanton grew up in South Africa, working on a farm that raised antelope, giraffe, rhinoceros, buffalo, and other African game, in addition to cattle, before moving to the states in 2003. Now a New Hampshire resident, he raises pastured beef cattle, pork, lamb, and chickens for meat and eggs, and grows mixed vegetables on … Read More

Convention Paints Strong Picture of Local Agriculture

November 12, 2015Beginning Farmers, Climate Change, Conservation, Consumers, Cooperatives, Country of Origin Labeling, Direct to Consumer, Farm Bill, Farm Bill 2013, Farm Demographics, Farm Economics, Farm Transfer Issues, Farm Workers, farm-to-school, Farm-to-Table, Farmer Leaders, Farmers Markets, Farmland Preservation, Food Hubs, Food Labels, FSA, FSMA, Grass Roots Policy, National Farmers Union, NEFU Members, Regional Food Systems, Regional Policy, SNAP, Trade, USDA

New England Farmers Union’s sixth annual convention, Gearing Up for Success, drew roughly 60 members of the farming community when it met on Nov. 6-8 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH. Attendees heard from national, regional, state, and local agricultural leaders on subjects such as federal agricultural policy, food safety, local and regional … Read More

New England Fly-In Group’s Got Dairy Covered

September 21, 2015Dairy, Farmer Leaders, Fly-In, Grass Roots Policy, National Farmers Union, Organic Producers, Women Producers

Five New England Farmers Union members attended the 2015 National Farmers Union Legislative Fly-In last week, and three of the attendees are dairy farmers. Mary Castonguay milks Ayrshires in Maine; Allie Bates works on her family’s dairy farm and makes goat cheese, also in Maine. Both Castonguay and Bates are members of the Organic Valley … Read More

Congratulations to Farmers Union Scholarship Winner Ellie Pendleton

July 22, 2015Beginning Farmers, Dairy, Educational Opportunities, Farmer Leaders, Farmer Profile, NEFU Members, Women Producers

New England Farmers Union Education Foundation is proud to announce its inaugural scholarship winner for 2015, Ellie Pendleton of Rockport, Maine. Ellie, a New England Farmers Union member, will be a sophomore at the University of Maine, and is pursuing a double major in animal science and education. As a freshman, she worked on the … Read More

A Warm Welcome for Shop Talk at Warm Colors Apiary

July 15, 2015Educational Opportunities, Farm Tours, Farm Workers, Farmer Leaders, Farmer Profile, Grass Roots Policy, NEFU Members, Women Producers

New England Farmers Union held a Shop Talk on July 9 at Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield. Warm Colors is a beekeeping operation on 80 beautiful acres on the Mill River run by Dan and Bonita Conlon. While Dan has been keeping bees since his childhood, the two started keeping bees there as a … Read More

America’s Farm Organizations Must Step Forward to Meet Demographic Challenges

July 1, 2015Beginning Farmers, Farm Demographics, Farm Transfer Issues, Farmer Leaders, National Farmers Union

GUEST BLOG POST By Roger Johnson, President, National Farmers Union Oftentimes, it’s not until life presents us with new obstacles that we reassess the situation, discover untapped resources, unused talent or new approaches that could be harnessed to meet the challenge. The lack of abundant rainfall for farming certain crops, for example, has led to … Read More

Dairy Farmer Chelsea Kruse on Finding Farming

April 27, 2015Beginning Farmers, Dairy, Educational Opportunities, Farmer Leaders, Farmer Profile, National Farmers Union, NEFU Members, Women Producers

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