What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Credit Stacking and Water Quality Trading

November 6, 2017Climate Column No Comments

By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Environmental markets, in addition to being science based, quantifiable, innovative, and permanent, will have to offer farmers adequate incentives to adopt new conservation practices. Cases in which a single practice achieves more than one quantifiable environmental benefit, verifiably reducing more than one pollutant, payments for credits … Read More

Shift to More Regressive Taxation Would Increase Burden on Family Farmers and Ranchers

November 2, 2017Press Releases No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – U.S. House of Representatives leadership today released its blueprint for sweeping tax reform, including significant cuts to individual and corporate tax rates and eventual repeal of the estate tax. The plan is estimated to cost $1.51 trillion over the next decade. In … Read More

Access to Markets: Homegrown by Heroes

October 31, 2017Beginning Farmers No Comments

By Natalie Grote, NFU Intern Many veterans, upon returning home from serving our country, discover a newfound passion for farming or ranching. After putting in hours of hard work to start their operations, farmer veterans are often determined to both make a living as well as bolster their local economies by selling their homemade products, … Read More

Cooperatives Build A Better World

October 30, 2017Blog No Comments

By Cathy Statz, Wisconsin Farmers Union Education Director A mobile home park resident. A dairy farmer. A college student. A produce grower. A home care worker. A hardware store owner. What do these people all have in common? Each is the owner of a business called a cooperative. Many of us in rural America are familiar … Read More

What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? COMET-Farm

October 30, 2017Climate Column No Comments

By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Farmers are a key participant in mitigating climate change. Agriculture is one of a few sectors that can sink existing atmospheric greenhouse gasses (GHGs) as well as reduce emissions moving forward. Environmental markets could compensate farmers for natural resource conservation benefits achieved on their land. A … Read More

Farmers Union Celebrates National Cooperative Month

October 26, 2017Blog No Comments

October is National Cooperative Month, a time when more than 29,000 cooperatives across the country advocate for the cooperative business model and its myriad benefits for co-op members, consumers, and local communities. Cooperatives are of particular importance in rural America, where they have offered both political and economic sovereignty for over a century. Farmers Union’s roots … Read More

GIPSA Final Rule is Deeply Disappointing and Frustrating

October 26, 2017Press Releases No Comments

NeFU Says Secretary of Agriculture Decision to Withdraw the GIPSA Final Rule is Deeply Disappointing and Frustrating   (October 17, 2017) – Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) president John Hansen said his organization was deeply disappointed with USDA Secretary Perdue’s decision to withdraw the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) proposed final rule.  The proposed … Read More

Access to Markets: Farm to School

October 24, 2017Beginning Farmers No Comments

By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy A growing interest in local and regional food offers lucrative opportunities for beginning farmers, and growing farm products for these markets often require a less significant investment in land and equipment than other production methods would. However, direct-to-consumer sales do require that farmers spend a … Read More

What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? New York Climate Smart Communities Certification

October 23, 2017Climate Column No Comments

By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation The Climate Column has covered practices that allow farmers to reduce emissions and sink carbon into their soil, like no-till, as well as methods that help farmers secure the food system by adapting to the changing climate, like intercropping. As the harmful consequences of climate change increase, … Read More

Trump Administration Must Right the Ship on Biofuels Through 2018 RFS Obligations

October 19, 2017Press Releases No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – As embattled farm, biofuel, and rural communities and economies look to the Trump Administration to maintain promises to support American biofuel production, National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling on the administration to increase Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume obligations when they finalize … Read More