By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern In previous weeks, the Beginning Farm Forum’s has presented several ways that beginning farmers and ranchers can access capital, including the Farm Service Agency and crowdfunding. Today, we’re examining Farm Credit, a national organization made up of over 70, member-owned cooperative associations that provide financial services to farmers, ranchers and rural business across the U.S. Farm Credit … Read More
Access to Land: Christensen Farm Family & Succession Planning
By Lura Roti, South Dakota Farmers Union Ask Marlow Christensen and his three sons, Dale, Don and Doug, why they chose farming as a career and their responses are similar. “It’s all we’ve ever known,” explains Dale, who, like his younger brothers, joined the family operation full-time right out of high school. His brother, Don, … Read More
What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Developing Protocols for Environmental Markets
By Kristen Ford, Program Manager for Farmer Veteran Coalition Relatively few range or pasture land projects are producing marketable greenhouse gas (GHG) credits, and producer awareness of environmental markets is extremely low. Through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), Farmer Veteran Coalition, a national nonprofit organization that … Read More
Ten Reasons to Attend NFU’s Women’s Conference
By Lisa Kivirist, Endowed Chair at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, author of Soil Sisters Just as we farmers need to care for our soil, we also need to nurture our minds and plant new idea seeds to shape a healthy business vision. That’s exactly what’s on the menu for women farmers at this year’s … Read More
Access to Markets: LocalFood App
By Elise Rothman, Founder of LocalMotive Is there a proven strategy to boost demand and revenue for local food? And if so, can the local food shift be measured? LocalMotive, a Public Benefit Corp out of Manitou Springs, Colorado, thinks they may have the answers. In 2015, they piloted LocalFood, a mobile application (“app”) that uses … Read More
As U.S. Trade Deficit Grows, NFU Calls for Renewed Trade Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (February 7, 2017) – The U.S. Commerce Department announced today that the U.S. trade deficit grew to $502 billion in 2016, marking its highest level in four years. Pointing to the need to reset the nation’s trade agenda and address the massive trade … Read More
NFU at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture
By Chris Holman, NFU Member In mid-January, I flew to Berlin to attend the annual Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), this year entitled “Agriculture and Water – The Key to Feeding the World.” While there, I represented National Farmers Union (NFU) and the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), and served as the North American … Read More
Access to Markets: Local Food Databases
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern As technology revolutionizes travel, products, games, and people, food producers should be looking to identify its role in food access. In what ways can technology facilitate the relationship between farmers and consumers? During the most recent Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program … Read More
Family Farmers, Ranchers Unhappy with Unnecessary Delay to Farmer Fair Practices Rules, NFU Says
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (February 6, 2017) – Further delaying a much-anticipated and necessary set of protections for family farmers and ranchers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today pushed back the effective date and comment periods for the three Farmer Fair Practices Rules. National Farmers Union … Read More
What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Silvopasture
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation As discussed previously in the Climate Column, trees sequester carbon that, if left in the atmosphere, would trap heat and contribute to climate change. Growing trees on farmland allows producers to store more carbon while simultaneously achieving other advantages for their farms’ productivity. The National Agroforestry Center (NAC) shares information on … Read More