Indiana Farmers Union believes in building strong local and regional food systems. These food systems help farmers and food producers maintain strong and transparent relationships with their customers. They also contribute to resilient local economies, to rural development, and environmental sustainability. Did you know, for instance, that research shows that every dollar spent in local … Read More
Blog
Access to Efficiency: Seed Treatment
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Beginning farmers who grow grains know that the time between planting and emergence in the field can be perilous for their crops. Pathogens in the soil or on seeds can overtake or impair the growth of a seedling, damaging yields and – ultimately – profitability. … Read More
What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Meeting Paris Agreement Goals
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern The Paris Climate Agreement was constructed within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December of 2015. Adopted by consensus, the agreement aims to maintain “a global temperature rise” of less than 2 degrees Celsius or 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving … Read More
A Blank Canvas
By Lisa Everhart Myers Demeter Farm We moved to the country because I wanted to see the sky again. Okay, it was a little more complicated than that, but, at the heart of it, I really just wanted to see the sky again. From our screened-in porch in Broad Ripple, an urban neighborhood on the … Read More
There is Power in Numbers: A New Day for Indiana Farmers Union
By Sherri Dugger, Indiana Farmers Union’s Media and Outreach Director, Co-Owner and Operator of Dugger Family Farm “There is power in numbers.” It was a simple concept, and it was cliché. But it was the truth, and it was the only way I knew to explain how Indiana Farmers Union (INFU) and National Farmers Union (NFU) … Read More
Access to Efficiency: Learning How to Farm
By Liz Brownlee, Co-Owner & Operator of Nightfall Farm My husband, Nate, knew one thing as a high schooler: he would never, ever work as a farmer. His high school summer job was on a grain farm near Franklin, Indiana, and while his bosses treated him well, the work was not, in his opinion, the … Read More
Learning to Farm
By Liz Brownlee Nightfall Farm My husband, Nate, knew one thing as a high schooler: he would never, ever work as a farmer. His high school summer job was on a grain farm near Franklin, Indiana, and while his bosses treated him well, the work was not, in his opinion, the most fun or rewarding. … Read More
Access To Markets: Grain Futures
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Every farm and every farm family is unique. Beginning intergenerational farmers generally do not learn everything they need to be successful in a uniform or linear way. On different farms, the established generation may or may not be willing to share fieldwork responsibility, or be … Read More
What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Cattle Heat Stress Alert
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Last week on the Climate Column, we discussed the risks of drought to agriculture, and proposed methods to help farmers prepare for and mitigate those risks. As drought increases in frequency, length, and severity and as temperatures rise globally, both of which are expected to occur as the climate continues to … Read More
A New Day for Indiana Farmers Union
By Sherri Dugger “There is power in numbers.” It was a simple concept. It was cliché. It was also the truth, and it was the only way I knew to explain to 25 female farmers how Indiana Farmers Union and National Farmers Union worked. “I believe in transparency, and I believe in truth,” I went … Read More