FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON– With little relief in sight for persistently low commodity prices, U.S. family farmers and ranchers are facing a bleak economic future. But a bipartisan bill introduced today by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) would help restore prosperity to rural America … Read More
Press Releases
USDA Releases Details for Market Facilitation Program; NFU Urges Long-Term Solutions for Oversupply and Low Prices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 25, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON– Two months after announcing its intentions to provide a new package to assist family farmers and ranchers coping with trade damages, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released finalized details about the timing and calculation of direct payments to producers through the … Read More
Farmers Union Announces New Education Priorities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Today’s farmers have to do more than just grow food; running a successful operation requires a broad range of skills, including marketing, business management, mechanical repair, and agronomy. To more effectively meet the growing needs of family farmers and ranchers, National Farmers … Read More
New Data Highlights Continuing Need to Fight Opioid Addiction in Rural Communities
New data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows that rural communities have the highest death rates nationwide from opioid prescriptions, more than three times the national average. A previously unreleased database from DEA tracking prescription painkillers showed that the highest per-capita opioid death rates from 2006 to 2012 were in rural communities in West Virginia, … Read More
NIFA, ERS Relocation Detrimental to Researchers, Family Farmers, and Consumers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 18, 2019 Contact: Jenny Hopkinson, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) relocation of two major research agencies is “misguided” and “detrimental to family farmers and ranchers and rural communities,” according to the nation’s oldest general farm organization. National Farmers Union (NFU), whose 200,000 members support increased funding for public agricultural … Read More
Farmers Union Hosts 83rd Annual All-States Leadership Camp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 9, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] BAILEY, Colo.– Farmers Union youth members from across the country convened last month for the 83rd annual National Farmers Union (NFU) All-States Leadership Camp. Hosted each June, the event encourages young adults to explore their leadership potential, discuss current events and important issues, learn more about … Read More
NFU Urges Additional Improvements to USMCA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 8, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– As Congressional leadership and the Trump administration work towards a compromise on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the country’s oldest general farm organization is urging additional improvements to the deal that could help to reduce health care costs and protect rural jobs before it is sent … Read More
EPA’s RFS Obligations Are Another Setback for American Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 5, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its proposed renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the year 2020. The proposal would set required biofuel use at 20.04 billion gallons next year, a marginal increase over this year’s 19.92 billion gallons. … Read More
Presidential Candidates Called Upon to Increase Fairness for Family Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 20, 2019 WASHINGTON – Today, 35 farm and food organizations called on elected officials and candidates running for office to address the disproportionate market power held by the giant agribusinesses that dominate livestock and poultry markets. The list of priorities for creating fair and competitive markets for family farmers is endorsed by groups … Read More
USDA Announces Kansas City Region as New NIFA, ERS Site; NFU Disappointed by Lack of Transparency and Public Input
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 13, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, [email protected] WASHINGTON– Ten months after introducing a plan to relocate and reorganize two major agricultural research agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will move the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS) to the Kansas City Region. … Read More