By Tricia Wancko, Food Safety Grant Coordinator Punxsutawney Phil has decreed six more weeks of what has shaped up to be a frigid winter, but there are plenty of food safety projects to catch up on while the fields are frozen and you’re keeping toasty inside your burrow. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Outreach Program … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In a 92-7 vote, the U.S. Senate today confirmed Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture, demonstrating strong bipartisan support for President Joe Biden’s pick. Vilsack previously held the position for eight years under President Barack Obama. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob … Read More
By Darrin Williamson, Region V FFA Officer and Chapter Vice President, Minnesota Farmers Union Youth Advisory Council Member Happy FFA Week, an annual celebration of FFA and the impact it has on members like me. I am interested and involved in agriculture – including FFA and Farmers Union – because it’s something we do as … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is supporting the Tenth Circuit Court’s January 2020 decisionin Renewable Fuels Association et al. v. EPA. After careful review of the decision, EPA’s new leadership agrees with both the court and the biofuel litigants … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2021 WASHINGTON – The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) today announced expanding membership and new policy working groups focused on developing a set of more specific policy proposals that drill down on the 40+ recommendations released by FACA in November 2020. FACA’s eight founding members — American Farm Bureau Federation (co-chair), Environmental … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 10, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In a step towards passing a $1.9 trillion relief package, the House Agriculture Committee voted 25-23 in favor of the bill’s food and nutrition title. If passed, the legislation would set aside a total of $16.1 billion worth of support for farmers, hungry … Read More
By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director Following his inauguration last Wednesday, President Joe Biden has wasted no time implementing his agenda. In the last week, he has issued more than three dozen executive orders, proclamations, and memoranda on a wide range of issues. Many of these actions have implications for agriculture. Here’s a brief summary … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In accordance with his campaign promise to aggressively address the climate crisis and create new jobs, President Joe Biden today issued several executive orders outlining actions the administration will take to cut greenhouse gas emissions, conserve natural resources, invest in renewable energy, advance … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to submit a status report every 60 days “on its progress in complying with the court’s remand” stemming from the July 2017 ruling in … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – To ease mounting financial pressures, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will temporarily suspend past-due debt collections and foreclosures for farmers borrowing under the Farm Storage Facility Loan and the Direct Farm Loan programs while also offering flexibilities under … Read More