By Maria Miller, NFU Education Director National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson addressed campers on July 14 at the 2011 All-States Leadership Camp in Bailey, Colo. As a former All-State Leadership Camp participant himself, he shared much of the organization’s rich history. “The founders of this organization understood some very important concepts when they … Read More
All-States Camp, Day 2
By Maria Miller, NFU Education Director The second full day at National Farmers Union’s (NFU) All-State Leadership Camp in Bailey, Colo., was an inspirational and thought-provoking one for campers. Olympian Rulon Gardner returned to the NFU Education Center to share his journey from the farm to the Olympics and beyond. He grew up the youngest … Read More
All-States 2011
By Maria Miller, NFU Education Director The 75th National Farmers Union (NFU) 2011 All-States Leadership Camp in Colorado has begun! Sunday was a day of getting acquainted and learning about the cooperative spirit. Yesterday, NFU Vice President Claudia Svarstad spoke to the campers about her experiences with the Farmer-to-Farmer Exchange Program NFU participates in. She … Read More
Trading Away Family Farmers?
By Laura Demmel, NFU Executive Assistant In the coming days, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee will likely debate the three pending Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with South Korea (KORUS), Colombia, and Panama. National Farmers Union members passed a policy resolution this spring in opposition to the pending FTAs as … Read More
Former UN Secretary-General Annan’s Words Ring True in America
By Jordan Hergenreder, NFU Intern National Farmers Union has long believed that long-term, sustainable rural economic development depends on the share that farmers receive from the sale of food. On June 25, 2011, Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General, echoed this sentiment as he addressed global food and nutrition security issues at the Food and … Read More
Minnesota Farmers hear from renewable energy experts at UM-Morris
By Jan Ahlen, NFU Climate and Energy Coordinator On Wednesday, the renewable energy tour moved on to the University of Minnesota-Morris. Farmers Union members attended a series of panel discussions followed by a tour of the university’s renewable energy facilities. Various relevant stakeholders participated on the panels. Farmers heard from participants of the renewable energy … Read More
Celebrating Our Independence
By Laura Demmel, NFU Executive Assistant Americans are so lucky. We have a rich history, painted with images of wise and courageous founders; sacrifices of millions of soldiers fighting for our liberties and our territory; dust-blown, idle farms and starving Americans of the 1930s; happy, comfortable families living the American dream; and countless other pleasant … Read More
Despite Critics, E15 Label Moves Closer to the Pump
By Jeremy Peters, NFU Government Relations Representative Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the much anticipated label for E15. While the label is a positive step forward, much work remains to make E15 ready for prime time. First, the label itself–a tremendous improvement over previous versions– could be further improved. For example, the … Read More
NFU Renewable Energy Tour: South Dakota Farmers, German Renewable Energy Experts Share Experiences
By Jan Ahlen, NFU Climate and Energy Coordinator The 2011 Renewable Energy Tour kicked off yesterday at the Midwest Dairy Institute in Milbank, S.D. We had a great turnout from local Farmers Union members who were very interested in learning more about diversifying their revenue stream through the production of renewable energy. We heard first … Read More
Bee-atrice Makes an Appearance at National Pollinator Week
By Amy Czerniak, NFU Intern Last week was National Pollinator Week, a time to increase awareness about the importance of pollinators, the role they play in agriculture, and how they affect consumers. Thursday brought about the National Pollinator Week briefing and a day full of activities for the intern volunteers helping with the event, including NFU … Read More