Family Farmers and Ranchers Want Updated Packers and Stockyards Act Rules

March 1, 2024Blog

This opinion piece originally ran on Agri-Pulse on March 1st, 2024. By: Jeff Kippley, Vice President, National Farmers Union The recent opinion piece by the President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) on USDA efforts to bring fair rules to livestock markets was not just inaccurate but also dangerously misleading. As a cattle producer … Read More

Food Safety for All Types of Learners

April 27, 2022Blog, Food Safety

By: Katherine Olvera, NFU Intern How do you learn best? Some of us turn to workshops hosted by experts where we can see things firsthand and ask questions. Others like to do some learning from the comfort of our own home (or farm!), turning to online resources. As the Local Food Safety Collaborative (LFSC), a … Read More

Food Safety Spotlight: Bins, Brushes, and Brains

February 8, 2022Food Safety

By: Billy Mitchell Totes, fish baskets, buckets, RPCs, and more – harvest bins on a farm go by many names.  At the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association conference, TOFGA for short, farmers Lorig of Middle Ground Farm and Finnegan of Steelbow Farm presented about the bins they love, how and why they use them, … Read More

Compost – the Gift That Keeps on Giving

December 14, 2021Blog, Food Safety

By: Billy Mitchell Soil gives us so much. It feeds us physically by providing incredible local food to eat. It feeds us emotionally as a medium for beautiful flowers that are feasts for our eyes and hearts. It even feeds us spiritually, giving us soft grass to picnic on with loved ones and trees perfect … Read More

Food Safety Spotlight: Introducing Keep Growing Detroit

September 28, 2021Food Safety

By: Billy Mitchell & Tricia Wancko When thinking of Detroit, most people have images of an industrial area focused on auto production alongside a soundtrack of Motown songs and KISS running through their heads. A lesser-known—but just as vibrant and important part of Detroit’s history—is its connection to agriculture. Since 1841, Detroit has hosted one … Read More

Food Safety Spotlight: Introducing Missouri Farmers Union

September 14, 2021Food Safety

By Billy Mitchell & Tricia Wancko Missouri Farmers Union (MOFU) works to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life of agricultural producers—whether they are long-established or new to their agricultural journey—and provides a home for those producers who are committed to conserving their state’s natural bounty. As part of that work, MOFU … Read More

Food Safety Spotlight: A Food Safety Community Grows in the Northeast

August 4, 2021Blog, Food Safety

By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator Lowering produce safety risks. Growing great food. Building community. Growers and service providers have a long list of top priorities. The voluntary Community Accreditation for Produce Safety (CAPS) program of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers’ Association—with operation coordinated by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension—aims to help growers adopt … Read More

Food Safety Spotlight: Meaningful Collaboration at IAFP

July 21, 2021Food Safety

By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator “Representation matters.” “Meaningful collaboration.” These simple yet powerful sentiments were shared by Armitra Jackson-Davis (Alabama A&M University) and Kranti Yemmireddy (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) during the International Association for Food Protection’s conference session, “If You Want to Go Fast, Go Alone; But If You Want … Read More

What Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition Means for Agriculture

July 15, 2021Blog

By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Director To address corporate consolidation in nearly every sector, President Joe Biden last week signed a sweeping executive order aimed at promoting competition and fairness throughout the economy. The order includes 72 directives that will be carried out by 12 federal agencies, many of which target the agricultural sector: It will offer … Read More