Roger Johnson

NFU Opposes Roberts’ GMO labeling bill – for now

February 25, 2016 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, (R-KS), the Senate Ag Committee chairman, has introduced a bill that would set up a nationwide system for the labeling of food with genetically modified organisms – or GMOs.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued a statement acknowledging NFU represents farmers on both sides of the GMO issue and said the family organization will not support the bill “in its current form.”

From Johnson:

“National Farmers Union (NFU) represents 200,000 family farmers and ranchers across the nation who employ a wide variety of practices and philosophies. Many of our members have chosen to incorporate genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into their production methods, while others have made different choices. The rights of GMO and non-GMO producers should be respected as equal while public concerns about GMOs are evaluated by federal agencies.

“NFU also values consumer rights, including the ability of consumers to have access to as much pertinent information as they want to know about their food. We support mandatory labeling of foods derived from genetically engineered plants, although we do not have policy on what such labeling should look like. As such, NFU opposes the proposed GMO labeling bill in its current form.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown to Help Ohio Farmers Union Kick Off 82nd Convention

January 25, 2016 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

Ohio’s senior U.S. Senator and U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee member, Sherrod Brown, will deliver remarks to the 82nd Annual Ohio Farmers Union Convention on Friday.

Brown is expected to meet and greet OFU members around 11:45 on the convention floor and he’ll speak at 12:20.

“Sherrod Brown has been a friend to Ohio family farmers through thick and thin,” said Ron Sylvester, OFU spokesman.

“His command of agricultural issues and help in our fights in Washington for items like a fair Farm Bill and Country of Origin Labeling are things for which our members appreciate Senator Brown,” Sylvester said.

This being OFU Convention time, the family farm organization that boasts 4,000 members statewide will also discuss and vote on public policy positions for 2016.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson will also attend OFU’s convention and address the gathering on national policy issues.

[Read more…]

UPDATE: Crop Insurance Payments Will Be Restored in Future Bill

October 29, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

A budget agreement negotiated between the White House and congressional leaders that was passed by the House yesterday did contain $3 billion in cuts to the federal subsidies for the nation’s crop insurance program, but, House ag interests said that the cuts will be rolled back in a future spending bill.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson voiced cautious optimism Wednesday night about the deal and said the agreement was led by the House Agriculture Committee.

“No one involved in agriculture was consulted when the budget was being negotiated,” said Johnson. “It’s outrageous to think that the agriculture committees were completely left in the dark, but we are thankful that the committee, its members, and other members of Congress stood up for a program that is critical to family farmers.”

Johnson noted that the 2014 Farm Bill provided $24 billion in savings, which accompanies the $12 billion in savings that was part of the 2011 renegotiation of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA). “While the rest of Congress has been paralyzed, the agriculture committees delivered savings in the name of deficit reduction,” he said. “It would be shameful to punish agriculture for doing its job over the last several years.”

Absent this deal, the budget would require $3 billion in cuts to the reimbursement rates between the government and the companies that sell and administer the crop insurance program. The cut, from 14 percent to 8.9 percent, is far deeper than the 12 percent of previous proposals. However, the average rate of return for participating companies has been less than 4 percent, causing many crop insurance companies to exit the sector.

“Caps already exist on administrative and operating costs for crop insurance companies, and producers pay an estimated $4 billion into this program annually. It’s time for Congress to realize that crop insurance is not a piggy bank,” noted Johnson. “We are thankful for our allies in the House and the leadership of Chairman Conaway and Ranking Member Peterson.”

“We now call on the Senate leadership to follow the House’s lead and reject cuts to crop insurance,” he said.

NFU Sends Sen. Hatch Message on Taxes

July 22, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson encouraged support for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s draft tax extenders package that will be considered today at the Committee’s executive session.

“Producers and rural residents deserve certainty when it comes the tax needs of their individual businesses,” said Johnson in a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. “NFU applauds the Finance Committee in advancing a two year extenders package well ahead of the end of the year.”

Johnson noted that over the last several years, Congress has approached the extension of valuable tax credits in a way that was unpredictable and unfriendly for family farmers and rural residents.

“The last minute extensions, some of which were retrospective in nature, left producers scrambling during the last few weeks of the year to make purchases,” said Johnson. “There was very little confidence that Congress would extend the credits until it actually passed. As a result, long-term planning was impossible.”

Johnson pointed out NFU support for the following tax credits:
·      Charitable contributions of real property for the purpose of conservation.
·      Extension of bonus depreciation.
·      Charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.
·      Extension of increased expensing limitations and treatment of certain real property as section 179 property.
·      Extension of the Renewable Electricity Production Credit.
·      All extensions that benefit the renewable fuel sector at both the production and consumption levels.
·      Deductions for energy efficiency upgrades made to buildings.

Johnson Makes Case for COOL

May 5, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson argued recently in Agri-Pulse that regardless of the upcoming announcement from the World Trade Organization (WTO) on America’s popular labeling law – Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) – Congress needs to let the WTO process run its course.

“The announcement from the WTO on this lawsuit is due in just weeks, and we may win. If not, it can still be brought to arbitration. And that’s why it’s important that Congress refrain from making any changes to the popular labeling law until this process has run its course,” notes Johnson in Agri-Pulse. “To do otherwise would not only be unprecedented in U.S. history, but would also be a disservice to consumers who support COOL by a margin of 90 percent, according to decade’s worth of polling.”

Johnson notes that the food labeling movement is no longer confined to the U.S., but now includes the European Union as well. “A few years ago European politicians got an earful when their constituents learned that they were walking around with a stomachful ¾ of horsemeat. Meat from horses labeled as beef was being imported into the European Union (EU), and since strict labeling laws were not in place in one of the world’s most lucrative markets, consumers were tricked into eating something very different than they thought,” he notes.

Johnson notes the next step in the arbitration process, should the WTO rule against America’s consumers and producers in May, is that Canada and Mexico can retaliate against U.S. But the level of retaliation can be subject to arbitration, if requested by the U.S. The level of arbitration is limited to the adverse effects on Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S.

“Proving COOL has caused economic harm is going to be no small feat for Canada, given the recent study out of Auburn University that found it was the economic collapse of 2008 – not COOL – that caused a dip in Canadian exports to the U.S.,” he notes.

[Read more…]

Farmers Union Membership Urged to Voice Fast Track Trade Authority Opposition

April 20, 2015 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

A message from the National Farmers Union is alerting all members that legislation is before Congress to grant President Barack Obama ‘fast-track’ trade authority. Both the National and Ohio Farmers Union have come out against fast track authority for any president.

“We oppose fast-track negotiating authority for the president,” said NFU President Roger Johnson earlier this year.

“Trade agreements must be a fair deal for all parties – farmers, workers, and consumers, both in the United States and abroad. Previous trade deals haven’t lived up to this standard, so Congress should have full opportunity to review and amend provisions of a trade agreement, consistent with the U.S. Constitution,” Johnson said.

The Ohio Farmers Union passed a ‘special order of business’ at its annual convention in January coming out against fast track authority. From our special order on trade concerns:

The Ohio Farmers Union opposes congressional passage of so-called Trade Promotion

Authority, also known as “Fast Track” trade authority. Fast Track allows for executive branch negotiation of trade agreements and constrains Congress to a simple, up and down vote on the entire agreement with no chance for amendments. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the “power … to regulate commerce with foreign nations.” Congress should not relinquish this authority and push the multitude of economic and human rights issues inherent in today’s trade agreements further away from being influenced by the American people through their representatives to Congress.

And, here’s what the NFU Action Alert has to say:

Congress has just introduced Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. This bill will all but ensure that the Trans-Pacific Partnership would go through. It hands over the Constitutional authority of Congress to review trade agreements to the President. Many members of Congress have yet to declare their position on TPA. They need to hear from their constituents, like you, that TPA is the wrong course for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

Promises of expanded trade benefiting U.S. farmers and rural communities have been made during the debates for NAFTA, CAFTA, and the U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreements and now the Trans-Pacific Partnership. These benefits have failed to materialize. Instead, rural communities have been roiled by profound economic instability. The trade deficit was $505 billion in 2014, a full 3 percent drag on our nation’s GDP.

Even agriculture, which typically has a surplus in trade, has suffered the consequences of free trade. On the three year anniversary of the U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreement, agricultural exports to Korea have stagnated, growing an estimated zero percent, yet agricultural imports from Korea have increased 28 percent under the free trade agreement.

Because of the secrecy of the negotiating process, it is impossible to know whether domestic laws such as Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) and other policies to strengthen rural economies, including vital reforms that would reduce our existing trade deficit, are being traded away.

We urge lawmakers to reject fast track and ensure all future trade agreements address the substantial trade deficit.

Do you agree? Let your representatives know! Find your Representative(s) here and your Senators here.

NFU’s Johnson Cautions on Pending Trade Deals

April 3, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

from the National Farmers Union

WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson today cautioned the American public – rural and urban alike – to be very leery of the rhetoric being used to sell upcoming trade deals and to insist that any agreement signed by this country has the primary goal of reducing the overall trade deficit.

“Trade is neither inherently good nor is it inherently bad,” said Johnson. “And the string of deals that have been signed into law over the past decade, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the more recent Korean trade deal have failed to deliver prosperity and instead have exported good American jobs while growing the overall trade deficit,” he said.

Johnson noted that in 2014, the trade deficit increased to $505 billion, representing nearly 3 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and slowing growth for the overall economy. “Yes, the positive trade balance of U.S. agriculture trade is good news – but it is massively overshadowed by the alarming overall U.S. trade deficit,” he said.

“And all family farmers and ranchers should take note of that,” he said.

Johnson said that Congress should deny the request of the president, and any president in the future, who asks for Trade Promotion Authority — also known as Fast Track.

“Fast Track allows the president to negotiate these agreements in secret and then present them to Congress for an up or down vote, with any and all amendments forbidden. Trade agreements that lack transparency should raise everyone’s eyebrows,” said Johnson.

[Read more…]

Canadians ‘Last Act of Desperation’ on COOL

February 11, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson praised today’s dismissal of the U.S. District Court lawsuit on Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), filed by the multinational meatpacking industry and their allies to try and stop the USDA from implementing the very popular labeling law.

“This is a clear and indisputable win for American consumers and producers, and it’s a huge relief to know that common-sense labeling laws, like COOL, can prevail in court despite the deep pockets of the multinationals,” said Johnson.

The papers ending the long and costly lawsuit were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ending American Meat Institute (AMI) et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture et al., originally filed in July, 2013.

Last week a Canadian delegation comprised of the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz and members of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canadian Pork Council and the Canadian Meat Council made a lobbying trip to Capital Hill on the heels of the release of a new study conducted by Auburn University Professor Robert Taylor showing that allegations that COOL depressed prices of Canadian cattle were false.

Johnson called the trip “their last act of desperation,” and pointed out that the Auburn University not only demonstrated that that fed cattle price basis actually declined after COOL went into effect, but also that COOL had no negative impact on imports of slaughter cattle and did not significantly affect imports of those of feeder cattle.”

Johnson urged members of Congress to stand by the popular labeling law – supported by roughly 90 percent of consumers – and urged the Canadians to allow the World Trade Organization to consider the new study and the total body of information and arrive at a decision on its own.

“If the U.S. Courts are any indication of the trajectory of success of COOL, then American consumers are finally going to be permitted to know where their food comes from without intervention from our chief trade competitors and their multinational allies,” he said.

Bill in Congress Would Destroy Renewable Fuel Standard – and Biofuels Industry – As We Know It

February 6, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON – The following statement was released today following the introduction of a bill that would eliminate the corn-based ethanol mandate for biofuel production and restrict overall volume targets. The following statement should be attributed to Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union.

“The elimination of the corn-based ethanol mandate and blend cap will gut the nation’s biofuel production, strand existing investment in second generation biofuel production and hurt family farmers, ranchers and rural communities that have experienced much-needed reinvestment from this policy. This is not only a bad step for agriculture, but also is a major setback to the environment and our nation’s attempts to manage its carbon emissions. We urge Congress to reject this policy and continue to embrace the vision of a robust renewable fuels industry as a component of this nation’s overall energy portfolio.”

COOL Wins Fourth Court Victory

November 1, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

NFU to Multinational Meat Industry: Stop the Senseless Litigation

The following statement was issued by National Farmers Unions President Roger Johnson in response to the denial by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to the petition submitted by the multinational meat packers for a rehearing and supplemental relief on its challenge to enforcement of Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).

“Yet again, the U.S. courts have sided with consumers, farmers and their allies and have upheld the enforcement of COOL. This is now the fourth time that COOL has won in court.

“COOL became the law of the land because consumers want to know where their food comes from and ranchers and farmers are happy to provide that information. Congress understood this basic need and passed this common-sense law. We urge the multinational meat industry to drop the senseless litigation and allow the law to be enforced.”

NFU to Multinational Meat Industry: Stop the Senseless Litigation

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

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