Access to Efficiency: Resource Stewardship Evaluation

August 22, 2017Beginning Farmers No Comments
Access to Efficiency: Resource Stewardship Evaluation

By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy National Farmers Union’s other weekly blog, the Climate Column, has highlighted the value of conservation planning, which assists with the selection and implementation of practices that address specific conservation concerns, such as pest management, biodiversity, or soil health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) … Read More

What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Principles for Environmental Markets

August 21, 2017Climate Column No Comments
What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Principles for Environmental Markets

By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Producers face many severe challenges stemming from climate change. A 2013 report published by the U.S Department of Agriculture, Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation, estimates that “under climate change, losses to corn production in the United States from precipitation … Read More

FSMA Exclusions

August 18, 2017Blog

By Barbara Patterson, NFU Director of Government Relations, and Roger Noonan, New England Farmers Union President A few weeks ago, we shared the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Needs Assessment Survey. This week, we will cover another FSMA-related topic: what is excluded or exempt from the Produce Safety Rule, which sets regulatory standards for the … Read More

Access to Markets: FSMA Exclusions

August 18, 2017Beginning Farmers No Comments
Access to Markets: FSMA Exclusions

By Barbara Patterson, NFU Director of Government Relations, and Roger Noonan, New England Farmers Union President A few weeks ago, we shared the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Needs Assessment Survey here on the Beginning Farmer Forum (BFF). This week, BFF will cover another FSMA-related topic: what is excluded or exempt from the Produce Safety … Read More

NFU Urges Smooth, Transparent Transition to a Fair Trade Framework

August 16, 2017Press Releases No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – Trade representatives from the United States, Canada and Mexico will meet here today to begin an official renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The renegotiation provides the Trump Administration with an opportunity to fulfill one of the president’s top campaign … Read More

Access to Capital: FSA Loan Servicing

August 16, 2017Beginning Farmers No Comments
Access to Capital: FSA Loan Servicing

By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy  In Fiscal Year 2016, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) issued 29,602 direct loans to farmers and ranchers totaling $2.39 billion. Of those, almost 17,800 were allocated to beginning producers. The proportion of loans to beginning producers is high because in many cases, FSA is the … Read More

What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Managing Pest Pressures

August 14, 2017Climate Column No Comments
What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Managing Pest Pressures

By Adam Pauley, NFU Intern For the past several weeks on the Climate Column, we’ve noted that climate change is contributing to rising pest pressures. Frost-sensitive pests are living longer, and rising temperatures are opening new areas to infestation. Farmers are responding to this growing problem by adjusting their pest management strategies. However, some common ways … Read More

Nebraska Farmers Union Says Preferred Pipeline Route is Still a Risky Shortcut

August 14, 2017Press Releases No Comments

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) urges Nebraskans with interest in the proposed Keystone XL routes to go to the Nebraska Public Service (PSC) website to view the three primary routes under consideration:  http://www.psc.nebraska.gov/natgas/Keystone_Pipeline.html   NeFU says that a view of the three Keystone XL routes proposed by the foreign pipeline company TransCanada including the Preferred Route … Read More

Access to Capital: FSA Loans

August 8, 2017Beginning Farmers No Comments
Access to Capital: FSA Loans

By Steven Emmen, NFU Intern As noted in prior Beginning Farmer Forum posts, beginning farmers often times have smaller operations, which means less land and capital. Consequently, they may require hefty loans to get their operations off the ground, but acquiring that amount of money is challenging since they also have shorter production histories and … Read More