Women’s Conference Informs, Inspires

February 1, 2016Agritourism, Direct to Consumer, Educational Opportunities, Farm Demographics, Farm Tours, Farmers Markets, National Farmers Union, Women Producers

National Farmers Union’s Women in Agriculture conference ended last week, and New England Farmers Union Membership and Administrative Coordinator Emma Sabella reports the event, held in Clearwater, FL, was informative and inspiring. Kriss Marion of Circle M Market Farm in Blanchardville, WI, shared her story about how she built a network of strong women in … 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

Microloan Expansion A Boost for Underserved, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

January 19, 2016Beginning Farmers, FSA, USDA, Veteran Farmers, Women Producers

A federal microloan program designed to assist underserved farmers – including beginning farmers and ranchers, veterans, small producers and other underserved communities in agriculture – was expanded today.  And that is great news for rural America, says National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson. “Beginning and underserved farmers face the same financial challenges when entering … Read More

150 Meet in Greenfield for New Farmer Gathering

December 14, 2015Beginning Farmers, Cooperatives, Educational Opportunities, Farm Transfer Issues, Farm Workers, Food Desert, Food Justice, Grass Roots Policy, NEFU Members, Regional Food Systems, Regional Policy, Socially Disadvantaged Farmers, Urban Agriculture, Women Producers

New farmers assembled the Arts Block in Greenfield, Massachusetts, on Dec. 12 from all over New England, New York state, and even Canada for the Northeast New Farmer Winter Gathering. Roughly 150 attendees arrived with enthusiasm and energy to participate in an anti-oppression training facilitated by representatives of Springfield-based Gardening the Community. Liz Wills-O’Gilvie and … Read More

Registration Open for NFU Women’s Conference

December 7, 2015National Farmers Union, Women Producers

NFU holds an annual conference aimed at providing women farmers the resources they need to enhance their knowledge of their family farm operation and learn the value of leadership in rural communities and cooperatives. The conference builds on NFU’s experience in offering adult education classes specifically designed for women in agriculture and provides participants with … 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

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