Blog

By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director Under ordinary circumstances, National Agriculture Day is an opportunity to celebrate the family farmers and ranchers who feed, fuel, and clothe our country. But these are no ordinary circumstances: a global pandemic has upended modern life as we know it. To slow its spread, millions of Americans are staying … Read More

With the need for a decision only days away, the coalition that successfully won a unanimous court decision against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continued its call for the agency to not appeal the decision by launching a new social media campaign aimed at encouraging policymakers and the EPA to do the right thing. Click … Read More

By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director As Black History Month comes to a close, National Farmers Union (NFU) is celebrating its own piece of black history: its first predominantly African American chapter. It’s no secret that American agriculture – and, by extension, general farm organizations like NFU – is disproportionately white. According to the most … Read More

By Charlie Michel, NFU Intern China appears to be moving ahead with implementing some of the commitments it made as part of the so-called “phase one” trade deal with the Trump Administration in mid-January. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative announced on Feb. 25 that China has lifted some restrictions on the … Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON –National Farmers Union (NFU) hosted 75 students in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last weekend for its annual College Conference on Cooperatives (CCOC). The three-day conference provides an interactive learning experience for American agriculture’s next generation on the importance, structure, and operations of various types of … Read More

By Maggie Kaiser, Farmer, Produce Safety Coordinator, National Young Farmers Coalition. The National Farmers Union’s Local Food Safety Collaborative (LFSC) and Cornell University recently released the results of their multi-year, two tier local food producer Needs Assessment reports. The newly released Needs Assessment reports detail the food safety practices, knowledge, attitudes, barriers, and needs of … Read More

By Hunter Free, National Farmers Union Intern Are you a farmer looking to lower your farm’s capital costs? Do you need help staying up to date on food safety best practices or regulatory requirements? Cooperatives across the country are fulfilling these needs for their members! For the last 55 years, October has been celebrated as … Read More

By Rebecca J. H. White, Produce Manager, Hanover Co-Op Food Store For the first time this September, I found myself pursuing real organizational change in Washington. Knocking on the doors of my Senators and Representatives during National Farmers Union’s Fall Legislative Fly-In, I felt the intoxicating buzz of conversations centered on things that I care about, that affect … Read More

By Alexis Dunnum, NFU Executive Assistant While some Americans may not be familiar with cooperatives, for individuals living in rural areas, cooperatives are integral to the economic and social viability of these communities. For decades, co-ops have provided family farmers and rural communities with everything crop seed to broadband service. As a member of thirteen … Read More