By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern As public interest in local and organic food increases, new markets have emerged in response to higher demand for these products. However, producers often need access to additional capital in order to access these markets. In response, Woody Tasch authored Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered, a … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation As discussed in previous Climate Column articles, specific practices, like no-till farming and planting cover crops, allow farmers to mitigate and adapt to climate change. However, in many instances, simply keeping land in production will secure important climate benefits. The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Agricultural … Read More
By Lura Roti, South Dakota Farmers Union Like most South Dakota farms 50 years ago, the Birgen’s farm resembled that of the Old McDonald nursery rhyme. “We raised cattle, chickens, sheep, had milk cows and stock cows, but back then, everyone did. You sold cream and eggs,” recalls Matt Birgen, an 86-year-old Korean War Veteran … Read More
By Alicia Razvi, President of the Wood-Portage-Waupaca County Chapter of Wisconsin Farmers Union In September of 2014, I walked into my first Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) meeting. The chapter was forming a youth program, and I was curious about local food. Little did I know, walking into that coffee house meeting would lead me on a … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump weighs the merits of keeping the United States in the Paris Agreement, National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging the administration to maintain U.S. commitments to global leadership on climate change. The Paris Agreement is vital to enhancing the … Read More
By Melissa Miller, NFU Director of Education As National Farmers Union’s education director, I am lucky enough to travel the country to visit with dozens of women in agriculture every year. From Virginia to Oklahoma, Oregon to Wisconsin, these women never cease to amaze me with their innovative ideas and consistent hard work. I see women … Read More
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Coordinator Here on the Climate Column, we have covered a number of conservation practices, many of which are specific either to cropland, such as alley cropping, or to livestock, such as waste management. One approach that incorporates both livestock and land is prescribed grazing, which, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural … Read More
By Lura Roti, South Dakota Farmers Union Communication can be a challenge when five brothers farm together. Sure, weekly meetings help, but the key to ensuring nothing falls through the cracks on the Sumption family farm has been the daily meal they share together, explains Taylor, 40. “When you get a lot of things going on … Read More
By Ariana Taylor-Stanley, Owner and Operator of Here We Are Farm Though my husband, Adrian, grew up on a little farm, he has since become a computer scientist and, if not for my agricultural inclinations, would probably live in a sparse, walkable studio apartment in some metropolis. Conversely, I grew up in a downtown duplex and … Read More
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Many clothing retailers don’t own their storefront, and bakeries often don’t own their kitchens. So why would farmers need to own their farmland? In any business, cash is king. Owning a large commercial asset, like farmland, ties up capital that could otherwise be used to grow a nascent business. In some cases, … Read More