The lagging farm economy was a top focus today for the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson joined a panel of industry leaders to testify on behalf of NFU’s nearly 200,000 members who are currently facing a diverse set of challenges in the farm sector.

“As commodity prices continue to decline and farmers and ranchers struggle to adjust to lower prices, there is a growing burden felt by producers out in the countryside,” Johnson informed members of the committee. “Even more worrisome is the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts, which show a prolonged period of low commodity prices. This situation will result in trouble accessing credit, negative farm budgets, depressed markets and tests to the farm safety net.”

The downturned farm economy has put a significant strain on farm financials, Johnson explained.  “We are seeing this manifest itself in the Farm Service Agency’s loan portfolio, an early indication of challenges ahead,” he said.

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With the 2014 Agricultural Act in full effect and a new Farm Bill debate on the horizon, the National Farmers Union is conducting a survey of family farmers and ranchers across the country to gain a greater understanding of the effectiveness of these programs.

“As a farmer-led organization, we work closely with our diverse membership to advocate for policies that support family farmers and ranchers and the communities where they live,” explained NFU President Roger Johnson. “After the review, we will be able to better gauge the effectiveness of current farm policies and identify our advocacy priorities for the next Farm Bill process.”

The survey, announced earlier this month at the 114th Anniversary Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., is meant to complement the feedback gained through a simultaneous series of member listening sessions held across the country.

The survey will remain open through July 31, 2016, after which time responses will be collected and analyzed by NFU staff to establish policy proposals and engage partners for the upcoming Farm Bill debate.

“An educated and vocal membership is one of the things that makes NFU such a strong grassroots organization,” Johnson concluded. “We need to hear from a large number of our members to make sure the farm bill addresses the most serious challenges, including climate change and market consolidation, facing rural America today.”

Farmers and ranchers are invited to complete the NFU Farm Bill survey here.

Cultivating the next generation of farmers and ranchers to carry on the legacy of American agriculture is the main focus of the National Farmers Union Beginning Farmer Institute.

NFU encourages new farmers, starting an operation of any size, to apply for the 2016-17 program class.

Through sessions hosted in Washington D.C. and California, the program’s hands-on training emphasizes many of the challenges beginning farmers may face in their careers, such as business planning, access to capital, land acquisition, marketing, and more.

Download the Application

“As the farm population continues to age, we are looking to the next generation of farmers and ranchers to continue to produce food, fiber and fuel. But farming can be an overwhelming business to get started if you don’t have the right tools,” said NFU president Roger Johnson. “For more than five years, the Beginning Farmer Institute has empowered new farmers from across the country to operate successful farm businesses.”

Farmers from all geographic regions and a diverse range of production methods have greatly benefitted from the training. The most recent graduates of the program, who were recognized at the NFU Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., earlier this month, represented seven states. Women and veterans have been among the program’s most active participants.

“More than half the participants have been women and nearly 10 percent have been veterans,” explained Johnson. “I am pleased to see the diversity of skills and backgrounds these beginning farmers are bringing to the industry.”

Applications for the 2016-2017 class must be postmarked by April 30, 2016, and the class roster will be announced on June 10, 2016. More information about the NFU Beginning Farmer Institute is available at here.

Farmland taxes (CAUV) and other state Ohio Farmers Union policy priorities will be among topics discussed with state legislators on April 12.

“We need every OFU member we can get to help us canvass the Capitol and stand up for the rights of family farmers in Ohio on April 12,” said Ron Sylvester, external relations director for OFU.

“While we’re in the midst of a heated – and unusal – presidential election year that seems to be bringing legislatures to a standstill, there are two important bills on Current Agricultural Use Valuation pending in the Ohio General Assembly. We need to keep the pressure on Columbus to do the right thing and return CAUV to its intended role in tax policy,” Sylvester said.

Family farmers around the state have seen their farmland tax bills go up 50 to 300 percent just since the end of the last recession.

OFU members are asked to come to Columbus on April 12. They will meet as a group in the Grant Hearing Room in the Capitol Building at 9 a.m. State Sen. Cliff Hite, Senate Agriculture Committee chairman, will meet with the entire group and talk about the legislature in 2016 and take questions. Members will then split up into groups and meet with other members of the House and Senate including their own representatives, party leaders and ag committee leaders and members of the Ways and Means and Finance Committees in the House and Senate.

We are asking folks to register so we can plan meetings and groups. You can register by calling Jerry Meyer at the OFU state office in Ottawa at 800-321-3671 or by entering a few quick pieces of information in the form below and clicking “submit.”

For the past several years, the National Farmers Union and Feeding America have been in partnership to end hunger in America. Feeding America is the worthy charity that supports food banks (probably your local or regional one) all over the U.S.

The tradition continues.

Food insecurity is a problem for millions of Americans across the country, and the National Farmers Union (NFU) has pledged to contribute to nationwide hunger relief through a renewed commitment to Feeding America’s Invest An Acre program. Following an announcement at the NFU 114thAnniversary Convention in Minneapolis, the organization officially kicked off its fundraising efforts this week.

“We often associate food insecurity with impoverished foreign nations, but we cannot ignore the hunger problem here at home in many rural communities,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “As family farmers and ranchers, we have a responsibility to help families in need through local hunger relief efforts.”

More than 48 million Americans lived in food-insecure households in 2014, according to the USDA. To combat the problem in rural America, the domestic hunger relief organization created Invest An Acre to make it easy for farmers to donate a portion of their crop proceeds to the food bank serving their local community. Every dollar donated by farmers is matched by Monsanto to double the impact.

“Food insecurity is not an individual problem; it can take a toll on an entire community. We are proud to renew our partnership with Feeding America and to continue NFU’s longstanding support of hunger relief efforts in rural America,” commented Barbara Patterson, a government relations representative with NFU, who is coordinating the renewed partnership.

From 2011 to 2014, NFU and its members contributed nearly $200,000 to various hunger relief initiatives through Feeding America, the Invest An Acre program and local food banks.

More information about NFU’s involvement in Invest An Acre and ways to donate is available at http://www.nfu.org/feeding-america.

Linda Borton was our executive director for the last few years. She took over the reins of a struggling organization around 2011. I say “around” because she worked for OFU for her entire lifetime. I say “around”, because when her appointment as executive director became official, she had already served in that capacity before and had been serving, unpaid, in that capacity during OFU’s darkest days.

At any rate, we all appreciate what Linda did for so may years. We all appreciate that she was there when we needed her most. And, here is the tribute from U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur to Linda Borton: