False Choice and the Farm Bill

November 18, 2011Blog

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU government relations representative As the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction continues to debate ways to find $1.2 trillion in savings, we are hearing plenty of rhetoric from committee members and other elected officials about the “difficult choices” we need to make as a country about what our priorities for the … Read More

BFI Participants are 'Growing Good Taste'

November 15, 2011Blog

By Maria Miller, NFU education director Participants of NFU’s Beginning Farmer Institute recently toured America’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and inspected a number of Minnesota’s most innovative farms. Meeting for the second time in as many months, the BFI participants also learned more about farm ownership options and how to transition operations from one generation to … Read More

American Ethanol: The Key to American Energy Security

October 18, 2011Blog

By Jan Ahlen, NFU climate and energy coordinator The U.S biofuels industry is at a crossroads. On one hand, the industry is creating jobs in rural America, reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and cleaning up our air. On the other hand, the industry is under threat by misguided politicians and special interest groups. Now … Read More

National School Lunch Week Helps Promote Local Foods

October 17, 2011Blog

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU government relations representative This past week, Oct. 10-14, we celebrated National School Lunch Week under the theme, “School Lunch — Let’s Grow Healthy.” For family farmers, there’s no greater illustration of this theme than recognition of the recent gains that have been made in getting food from local farms into schoolchildren’s … Read More

The Farmer, the Food and the Farm Bill

October 12, 2011Blog

By Maria Miller, NFU director of education “I’m looking forward to this farm year ending,” a Farmers Union member from the Midwest wrote to me this week. “It’s my worst year ever in farming. Crop insurance should get me through to next spring, but let’s hope something changes or I’ll be history.” He went on … Read More

Congress Should Reject Pending Trade Agreements

October 11, 2011Blog

By Tony Jarboe, NFU communications coordinator Congress is set to vote this week on three pending free trade agreements (FTAs) with Korea, Colombia, and Panama. NFU has long opposed each of these agreements because they are very similar to North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), both of which … Read More

Create Jobs in Rural America – Finish and Enforce a Strong GIPSA Rule

September 28, 2011Blog

By Mike Stranz, NFU government relations representative During his speech to a joint session of Congress on September 8th to unveil the Jobs Bill, President Obama stated the concern of many Americans: “The question is whether in the face of an on-going national crisis, we can stop the circus and actually do something to save … Read More

Don’t Blame Farmers for High Grocery Prices

September 1, 2011Blog

By Roger Johnson, NFU President For too long, many have argued that utilizing ethanol means choosing between food and fuel for Americans. This is a false choice. We have more than enough corn to properly feed America and still fuel it. The rising grocery prices we have seen recently are not due to increased demand … Read More

Study Finds Rural Health Care Lags Behind Urban Health Care

August 29, 2011Blog

by Tony Jarboe, NFU communications coordinator Nearly one in four rural Americans rate the health care in their communities either fair or poor, according to a poll commissioned by United Health Care. That is twice the rate that urban residents rate the health care in their communities in either of those categories. This poll corroborates … Read More