NFU to Make Summer Renewable Energy Tour

WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union (NFU) has partnered with The Climate Network to conduct a series of meetings this summer across the Midwest on the theme of renewable energy solutions.

“The Renewable Energy Tour” will make stops in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin from June 27 to July 1.

“This is an educational opportunity for family farmers and ranchers, a chance to see what others like them are doing to take advantage of this increased demand for renewable energy,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Not only do renewable energy projects provide farmers and ranchers with an additional source of income, but they also help diminish America’s dependence on foreign oil while helping improve the environment.”

NFU seeks to promote renewable energy in a sustainable environment. The tour will provide information to farmers and policymakers on the benefits of renewable energy, its role in rural economic growth and the opportunity for an extra revenue stream for farmers as well as attendant environmental benefits. The tour will allow for firsthand dialogue with a German farmer and renewable energy expert. Findings will be summarized in a policy report that will be released in Washington, D.C., at the end of July.

“With the tour we hope to help grow the seed that farmers in the Midwest have planted by turning to renewable energies,” said The Climate Network Project Coordinator Till Kötter. “By sharing lessons learned in Germany, we want to support U.S. farmers on their way to becoming the energy producers of the future.”

The Climate Network is a two-year program administered by the Washington, D.C., office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, which seeks to promote transatlantic solutions for the low carbon economy. The Heinrich Boell Foundation is a green think tank and international policy network affiliated with the German Green Party, headquarterd in Berlin, with 30 offices across the globe.