By Joe Schroeder, Farm Advocate at Farm Aid Since 1985, Farm Aid has responded to farm crises on the individual, community, and national level. Farm Aid has long supported and held up farmers who face crises and the farm advocates who help them through get through the hard times. As Farm Aid’s farm advocate, my job … Read More
By Sherri Dugger, Indiana Farmers Union’s Media and Outreach Director, Co-Owner and Operator of Dugger Family Farm I was an easy sell. When I first met Rob Davies, the marketing manager for Indiana Farmers Union, in late 2016 at a local coffee shop in Danville, Indiana, it took him about 15 minutes to sell me on … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Beginning farmers who grow grains know that the time between planting and emergence in the field can be perilous for their crops. Pathogens in the soil or on seeds can overtake or impair the growth of a seedling, damaging yields and – ultimately – profitability. … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern The Paris Climate Agreement was constructed within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December of 2015. Adopted by consensus, the agreement aims to maintain “a global temperature rise” of less than 2 degrees Celsius or 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 12, 2018 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The White House today released its proposed fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget. Over the next decade, the $4.4 trillion budget would severely cut many programs that family farmers and ranchers and rural Americans rely on, including $48.6 billion from Farm Bill programs, … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 12, 2018 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The White House today released its principles to rebuild America’s long-neglected infrastructure. The plan includes $200 billion in federal investment over ten years, $50 billion of which is designated for rural projects. In response to the plan, National Farmers Union President Roger … Read More
By Sherri Dugger, Indiana Farmers Union’s Media and Outreach Director, Co-Owner and Operator of Dugger Family Farm “There is power in numbers.” It was a simple concept, and it was cliché. But it was the truth, and it was the only way I knew to explain how Indiana Farmers Union (INFU) and National Farmers Union (NFU) … Read More
By Liz Brownlee, Co-Owner & Operator of Nightfall Farm My husband, Nate, knew one thing as a high schooler: he would never, ever work as a farmer. His high school summer job was on a grain farm near Franklin, Indiana, and while his bosses treated him well, the work was not, in his opinion, the … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Every farm and every farm family is unique. Beginning intergenerational farmers generally do not learn everything they need to be successful in a uniform or linear way. On different farms, the established generation may or may not be willing to share fieldwork responsibility, or be … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Last week on the Climate Column, we discussed the risks of drought to agriculture, and proposed methods to help farmers prepare for and mitigate those risks. As drought increases in frequency, length, and severity and as temperatures rise globally, both of which are expected to occur as the climate continues to … Read More