By Hannah Ruth Tabler, NFU Intern Many beginning farmers, after earning enough experience to feel confident starting their own operation, cannot afford the high upfront costs associated with such an endeavor. At the same time, new producers often lack extensive credit history or adequate collateral for traditional loan providers. This makes it difficult to start … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Fire is often thought of as a destructive and uncontrollable natural disturbance, causing catastrophic damage to agricultural operations of all types. But did you know that fire can actually be used as a tool to protect and increase productivity on your land? Prescribed burning is an advanced land management technique … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In a letter sent to President Donald Trump yesterday, twenty members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee urged the administration to support long-term solutions in the Farm Bill that would ensure an adequate farm safety net for family farmers and ranchers who … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of Senators today introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate to provide mental health resources in rural America to address the alarmingly high rate of suicide amongst farmers and ranchers. The bill, Facilitating Accessible Resources for Mental Health and Encouraging … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 18, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Agriculture Committee today marked up the 2018 Farm Bill, H.R. 2, sending the bill to the full U.S. House of Representatives for its consideration. National Farmers Union (NFU), the nation’s second largest general farm organization, opposes the legislation as … Read More
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Coordinator Although farmers and ranchers with all levels of experience rely on farm bill programs for technical and financial assistance, they are of particular importance to beginning farmers. Beginning farmers, by definition, do not have access to many of the same resources more established producers do. Most obviously, newcomers do … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2018 CONTACT National Farmers Union: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106, ajerome@nfudc.org American Farm Bureau Federation: Will Rodger, 202-406-3642, willr@fb.org WASHINGTON – The presidents of the nation’s two largest general farm organizations today visited the “Prescribed to Death” opioid memorial in Washington, D.C., in a show of unity to address the national opioid … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy On the Climate Column, we have highlighted a number of climate-smart production and conservation practices for which farmers may receive technical and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Congress authorizes NRCS to disperse this assistance to farmers through the … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway today released the heavily anticipated text of a new Farm Bill. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson thanked the committee for their work to put together a farm bill and encouraged Congress to work … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today announced the administration would allow the year-round sale of E15, or gasoline blends comprised of 15 percent ethanol, which had previously been barred from being sold in the summer. National Farmers Union (NFU) applauded the President’s move and … Read More