Ohio Farmers Union

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United to Grow Family Agriculture Since 1934

AP Ethanol Stories Draw Fire from NFU, Other Ag Orgs

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The Associated Press has come out with a few stories and data for infographics that you may have seen in your local newspaper or online in the past few days. The stories questions whether or not ethanol production in the U.S. and its effects on agricultural production of corn are having negative consequences in other environmental areas.

What follows is the official reaction from the National Farmers Union. If you’d like to see what AP produced in its reporting for yourself, check out this PDF file I’ve put together of what stories I could capture online. The Associated Press is essentially a member-based news organization – its members are the media outlets which subscribe to its stories – and in some cases your local paper or favorite online source may not have chosen to run any or all of these stories. (They may also not be a member of the AP)

PDF File of the AP Ethanol Stories November 2013

NFU Reaction:

WASHINGTON (Nov. 12, 2013) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to a recent story by the Associated Press that blames biofuels for causing environmental harm:

“The story blames biofuels for the reduced acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). What it neglects to mention is that Congress reduced CRP by roughly seven million acres in the 2008 Farm Bill and is poised to be reduced by seven to eight million acres in the next farm bill.

“In addition, climate change and new seed varieties are mostly responsible for the expansion of corn production, with warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons making it possible to plant corn in places like North Dakota and Canada.

“American-produced biofuels are a clear and environmentally-friendly alternative to oil. Today’s ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent compared to gasoline.

“NFU will continue stand up for the Renewable Fuel Standard that is cleaning up the environment, diversifying fuel sources and supporting rural economies.”

 

FRAUD ALERT: Fake Letters from USDA Hitting Some Mailboxes

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USDA has been made aware of a fraudulent letter being sent to some farmers requesting information about recipients.

According to a recent notice by USDA FSA, the letters are from a fictitious USDA employee “Frank Rutenberg.” There is no Frank Rutenberg, the letters are fraudulent and if you receive such a letter do not respond.

As always, if you receive a suspicious letter via the postal service or email or other online communication or phone call from someone claiming to be from a government agency or business and they ask you for personal or business information, contact the relevant agency or business on your own and verify the sender’s or caller’s intent. In most cases, legitimate requests for personal or other information will not be made via “cold” calls or unexpected mail or online communications.

COOL Mythbusting

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from the National Farmers Union

There’s a lot of misinformation about COOL being spread by our packer- and processor-opponents. Below are the facts about COOL that you can use as talking points when talking with members of Congress, your friends and neighbors, or the media:

  • The United States has never conceded to the WTO before being directed to do so by a dispute panel.
  • Changing the COOL law at this time, in the middle of an appeal, would be letting Canada tell us whether or not our laws are WTO-compliant, raising a major sovereignty issue.
  • We should take a line from Canada – they fought the United States’ softwood lumber trade dispute for 24 years without giving in until WTO forced them to do so.
  • Repealing the COOL law would affect more than meat and poultry. COOL requirements apply to muscle cuts of beef, lamb, pork, goat and chicken; ground beef, ground lamb, ground pork, ground goat and ground chicken; farm-raised fish and shellfish; wild fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities (like fruits and vegetables); peanuts; ginseng, pecans and macadamia nuts.
  •   [Read more…]

Conservation Payments Delayed by Shutdown Are On The Way

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From USDA:

Farmers waiting for their Conservation Security or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) payments should receive them in the coming days. The shutdown of the federal government delayed some of the $907 million in payments from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to CSP participants who have enrolled millions of acres to improve the overall conservation performance of their operations.

[Read more…]

First Public Conference Committee Hearing Meets Oct. 30

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Ohio’s Sen. Brown, Rep. Fudge on the Committee

from the National Farmers Union:

Senate and House Agriculture Committee leaders today announced that the first public meeting for the 2013 Farm Bill conference committee will be held next week on Wednesday, October 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET in room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building (the Ways and Means Committee Room). The agenda for the meeting of conferees will include opening statements and discussion of H.R. 2642, the House’s Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.

[Read more…]

Feeding America campaign back this year with a local twist

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Infographic Courtesy of Feeding America.

Infographic Courtesy of Feeding America.

The National Farmers Union is working again this year with Feeding America to raise money to help food banks across the nation. The difference this year is that our fundraising pledge gives Farmers Union members and friends an option to route their donation directly to their local food bank.

NFU, through our state organizations and individual members across the country has pledged to raise $50,000 for Feeding America. As with the past two campaigns, you can donate directly to Feeding America online through NFU’s page on the Feeding America site.

Or, if you prefer to ensure that your donation is used exclusively by your regional foodbank, but still counts for NFU’s pledge, you can do the following:

[Read more…]

Presidential remark worth noting

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obamasmallIn remarks about the reopening of the federal government Thursday, President Barack Obama mentioned some other national priorities caught in the morass of a dysfunctional, hyper-partisan Congress. Among them was getting the Farm Bill done:

“We should pass a farm bill, one that American farmers and ranchers can depend on; one that protects vulnerable children and adults in times of need; one that gives rural communities opportunities to grow and the long-term certainty that they deserve.

“Again, the Senate has already passed a solid bipartisan bill. It’s got support from Democrats and Republicans. It’s sitting in the House waiting for passage. If House Republicans have ideas that they think would improve the farm bill, let’s see them. Let’s negotiate. What are we waiting for? Let’s get this done.”

Full transcript of the news conference here.

 

Wise: Nutrient Management Not Just a Row Crop Farmer’s Problem

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Roger Wise

Roger Wise

by Roger Wise, President

Ronald Reagan said we must trust but verify. He was talking about the former Soviet Union and nuclear disarmament. He believed we had to trust them to do the right thing, but he was also realistic and experienced enough to know that verification was paramount to successful disarmament. That was in the 1980s.

Today the same analogy can be made regarding the “4Rs” and responsible manure and nutrient management and application. Most agree farmers want to (and usually do) embrace conscientious stewardship practices to help mitigate the effects of harmful Lake Erie algal blooms resulting from dissolved phosphorus runoff.

My perceived observation is that row crop farmers bear too much blame for the runoff problem in the Western Lake Erie basin watershed. They embrace variable rate technology, regularly soil test, and apply the right fertilizer at the right time. Cover crops are embraced more than ever, further reducing runoff and keeping nutrients incorporated where they belong. They do these practices not only because they are environmentally correct, but just as importantly because they are business people and know not doing them jeopardizes their bottom line.

[Read more…]

NFU Outlines Its Priorities for Farm Bill Endgame

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In a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee chairpersons and ranking members, National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson today outlined what the family farmer organization wants from the upcoming Farm Bill conference committee.

The Farm Bill has been stalled for over a year as part of the partisan wrangling mostly coming from so-called Tea Party Republicans in the House. Ohioan and House Speaker John Boehner has also stalled Farm Bill consideration at certain points last year and this year. There are currently House and Senate-passed Farm Bills which need to be reconciled in a conference committee. After weeks of inaction, Boehner allowed the House to form its half of the conference this past weekend.

“NFU is pleased to see the farm bill process move forward with the appointment of conferees,” said Johnson. “As you and other conferees begin formulating your positions on important farm bill conference issues, I urge you to consider the priorities of U.S. family farmers, ranchers, rural communities and hungry Americans.”

Johnson’s letter outlines several key issues for NFU and its members beginning with maintaining Farm Bill ‘permanent law.’ Dating back to requirements enacted in 1938 and 1949, the Farm Bill has had regular reviews and updates.

“Rescinding permanent law would remove the incentive to update and reauthorize the farm bill, leaving conservation, renewable energy, rural development, research, trade and other provisions without authority to continue,” said Johnson.

[Read more…]

U.S. House Finally Appoints Farm Bill Conferees

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One member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D), will be one of 29 members of the House side of a conference committee to begin negotiating with the Senate on differing versions of the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill has been held up for a year as partisan games in the House have kept chances for bipartisan compromise with the Senate in limbo.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement following the House appointing members to the farm bill conference committee:

“I am pleased to see that the House has finally taken action that will move the farm bill closer to completion. There is a lot of work to be done and this is a long-awaited announcement.

“I hope the conferees will consider the needs of all family farmers, ranchers, consumers and hungry Americans throughout its deliberations, and ultimately present a five-year, comprehensive bill with an adequate safety net that can be supported by both houses of Congress and by the president for adoption before the end of the year.”

 

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1011 N. Defiance Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875
Phone: (419) 523-5300
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