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United to Grow Family Agriculture Since 1934

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Help NFU Set Priorities for Next Farm Bill – Take the Survey

April 4, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Take the SurveyWith 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.

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature

NFU Beginning Farmer Institute Accepting Applications for 2016-17 Class

April 1, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

FB-logo-ofuCultivating 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.

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature

USDA Ups the Ante on a Cleaner Lake Erie

March 28, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

WLEB-area-postThe USDA announced on Monday that the federal agency is upping its previous $36-million-dollar investment in Lake Erie water quality by a further $41 million.

The previous dollars were part of the 2014 Farm Bill. This new money brings the total federal investment in various conservation programs to $77 million. The funds are part of a three-year plan to help clean up the lake and improve nutrient management and conservation practices in NW Ohio.

“The challenges that face Lake Erie require science-based solutions and a commitment from all partners to address the factors that impact water quality. The area’s farmers and ranchers have already made great strides in helping to reduce runoff, and with this new investment they will be able to do even more,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Farmers and landowners will be able to add conservation measures to about 870,000 acres in this critical watershed, effectively doubling the acres of conservation treatment that can be accomplished in the three years.”

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Jason Weller unveiled a new initiative in Toledo on Monday that will run through 2018 and contains the new investment.

Also on Monday, Weller released a report from the Conservation Effects Assessment Project that showed voluntary conservation measures have made a difference in reducing nutrient and soil runoff from farms in the western Lake Erie basin.

Weller said that while gains have been made, there is still opportunity for improvement in NW Ohio, Indiana and Michigan and the new initiative and funding could make a difference in reducing Lake Erie’s plague of annual harmful algae blooms.

According to the CEAP report, this initiative will help landowners reduce phosphorus runoff from farms by more than 640,000 pounds each year and reduce sediment loss by over 260,000 tons over the course of the three-year investment.

“Throughout the basin, comprehensive field-scale conservation planning and conservation systems are needed to accommodate different treatment needs while maintaining productivity,” said Weller. “While voluntary conservation is making a difference in the basin, the CEAP evaluation tells us that there are still gains that can be made through an emphasis on practices like precision agriculture.”

Ohio Farmers Union Joe Logan attended the NRCS event in Toledo and said, “This is a big deal for western Lake Erie and in terms of the commitment USDA has shown agriculture in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.”

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature Tagged With: Jason Weller, Joe Logan, Lake Erie, NRCS, USDA

Sign of life for GIPSA Rule?

March 26, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

FB-logo-ofuWhile opponents of traditional family farming in Congress have blocked implementation of the Grain Inspection and Stockyards Protection Administration rule from the 2008 Farm Bill, the National Farmers Union has continued to lobby for full implementation of the rule which would add transparency and more competition to U.S. markets.

NFU and others got a boost recently when eight members of Congress sent USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack a letter renewing calls to finish the rule making on GIPSA.

That process could proceed more smoothly at USDA now that the anti-GIPSA riders have been removed from recent spending bills.

“Producers and consumers alike benefit from competitive and transparent markets… Deceptive, fraudulent, retaliatory, and anti-competitive practices have no place in a well-functioning market, and we need to have sound rules of the road to protect consumers, livestock producers and poultry growers in increasingly concentrated market environments,” the lawmakers stated in the letter.

Ohio’s own U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, signed the letter to Vilsack with three other representatives and four senators. You can read the letter here.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: GIPSA, Marcy Kaptur, Tom Vilsack

OFU Legislative Day April 12 – We Need You!

March 23, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

statehouseflags200Farmland 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.”

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature

Farmers Union and Feeding America Partnership

March 23, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

FB-logo-ofuFor 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.

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature

As Dependable as the Sunrise

March 14, 2016 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

lindafeature

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:

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature

OFU asks, Where’s the Beef…. And Pork and Milk and Eggs?

March 14, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

primarygraphic

Food and Ag Policy absent from Presidential Campaigns

Statement from Ohio Farmers Union President Joe Logan on eve of 2016 Ohio Primary:

“As half a dozen Presidential candidates barnstorm across the state in advance of Ohio’s crucial primary election, we have heard almost nothing about Ohio’s largest industry. In Ohio, we have been proud to tout our agriculture and food industries as one of our most important economic sectors, but our agricultural leaders have not been successful at holding the candidate’s feet to the fire about the future of Ag and Food policy.

“This election year coincides with a period of serious economic stress in the ag community, and a time when we should be making critical decisions about such important issues as food labeling and the structure of our next farm bill. We call on presidential candidates to “steak” out their positions on issues critical to our future food system.

“We have heard both sides of the argument about the benefits and liabilities of international trade agreements, mostly related to manufacturing jobs. Absent in these discussions has been comprehensive analysis of the impacts of lesser-known impacts trade agreements such as Investor-State Dispute Resolution (ISDR), which will allow both nations and corporations to bring disputes against federal, state or local governments who may enact preferences for domestic or locally-sourced products.

“We have recently witnessed the sad results of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) dispute resolution case regarding our Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law for meats. In this case, the WTO resolution panel, chaired by one of the litigant nations, ruled against a U.S. law that had the support of 94% of American consumers and 90% of independent American farmers. None of the candidates has mentioned this important element of trade agreements, nor have they mentioned the fact that it is now more difficult for U.S. consumers to determine from where their food originates.

“Even more timely is the currently ongoing debate about labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). On the heels of legislation passed by Vermont requiring the labeling of such foods, and fearing the evolution of a patchwork of differing labeling requirements, Congress is contemplating a federal statute that would establish uniform labeling requirements, while preempting any state or local initiatives to do so.

“As in the COOL debate, American consumers strongly support a requirement for accurate labeling of GMO products, but corporate food industry interests strongly oppose it. This issue is of utmost importance for the future of our food system – and the marketing efforts of a growing number of family farmers around Ohio and the U.S. who are earning more per bushel for their production of non-gmo grains.

“At this critical moment in history, with political sentiments as broadly dispersed as any time in recent memory, we call upon our presidential candidates to make their positions known on important issues such as these.”

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature

Clark Rallies Farmers to Fight for Renewable Energy

March 8, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

wesclarknfuMINNEAPOLIS (March 7, 2016) – “You’re not just farmers. You’re in the national security business, and we need you out there on the front lines protecting America’s economic future.” That was the call-to-action issued today by retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark at the National Farmers Union 114th Anniversary Convention.

Clark, a West Point valedictorian who also served as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander, explained that oil dependence has dominated America’s foreign and military policy for too long and that renewable energy is key to breaking the cycle.

“How many more U.S. troops do we need to send abroad before the nation wakes up and says, ‘you can’t run foreign policy based on the price of a barrel of oil,’” Clark asked the group.

“Energy policy is national security policy,” he added, calling the Renewable Fuel Standard one of the most important pieces of energy policy ever passed because it boosts production of homegrown alternative energy sources.

“We need your support to keep the Renewable Fuel Standard in place,” Clark told the gathering of more than 500 farmers and ranchers from across the country.

But it won’t be easy and rural America will meet stiff resistance from Big Oil.  The oil industry is “the most powerful industry in the history of mankind,” he said, and it will use its money and political power to maintain a stranglehold on America and the energy market.

Calling ethanol “greener, cleaner, cheaper and better,” Clark said U.S. farmers have a positive story of success to share while fighting for America’s energy future.

“If we can stay with the Renewable Fuels Standard, we will beat the Saudis, the Russians, the Iranians or anybody else who tries to manipulate this country…we’ll put our own energy policy in place,” he concluded.  “I don’t want my grandchildren going out there to fight for someone else’s oil, and neither do you.”

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Feature Tagged With: National Farmers Union, Renewable Fuel Standard, Wesley Clark

USDA Secretary Discusses Diversification, Conservation and Trade at NFU Convention

March 8, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

nfulogo-featAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who is also a National Farmers Union member, addressed the organization’s 114th Anniversary Convention this morning, where he celebrated U.S. agriculture’s uniqueness, called on Congress to act on food labeling, and advocated for increased trade with Cuba.

“It is important to focus, not just solely on large-scale production agriculture, but it is important to continue to focus on diversifying opportunities for all sizes of operations,” he said, receiving thunderous applause from NFU’s diverse membership.

Prices for major commodities have fallen in recent years, but Vilsack believes investments made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will equip rural America to weather the difficult times. Among the items he listed: renewable fuels initiatives, new and beginning farmer education programs, crop insurance, rural development grants and conservation.

Vilsack also called on lawmakers to act on labeling issues currently facing the country.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog

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