FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In an effort to assist farmers and ranchers affected by international trade disputes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will issue the third and final tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments. As family farmers face record … Read More
USMCA Nears Completion with Trump’s Signature
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – During a ceremony held today at the White House, President Donald Trump signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law. Though the agreement has already been approved by Mexico, it will not be fully implemented until it is ratified by the Canadian government. … Read More
Tenth Circuit Court Strikes Down EPA Small Refinery Exemptions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2020 DENVER –In a decision that is expected to broadly impact the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approach to granting small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit late on Friday struck down three exemptions that were improperly issued by EPA. … Read More
Rule Provides Clearer Definition of “Waters of the United States”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In a final rule released today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revised its definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. Earlier definitions of WOTUS were considered too vague … Read More
NFU Applauds Senate’s Passage of USMCA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 16, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today voted 89-10 in favor of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), moving the trilateral deal to President Donald Trump’s desk for final approval. Though National Farmers Union (NFU) initially withheld endorsement when USMCA was introduced over a year ago, the … Read More
First Phase of U.S.-China Trade Deal Finalized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 15, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In an effort to ease tensions between their two countries, President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He today signed the first phase of a trade agreement. At the time of the signing, the deal’s text had not yet been published. … Read More
NFU Urges Strengthening of Conservation Stewardship Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 14, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Department of Agriculture works towards 2018 Farm Bill implementation with the introduction of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) interim rule, National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging the agency to strengthen the working lands program to better help farmers improve … Read More
Livestock Competition Rule Unlikely to Provide Needed Protections to Farmers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 10, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – More than two years after failing to finalize a set of rules to protect American family farmers and ranchers from anticompetitive and abusive business practices from the increasingly consolidated meatpacking and processing industries, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a … Read More
Farmers Union Board Backs Amended USMCA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202.554.1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In a closely divided vote, the National Farmers Union (NFU) Board of Directors opted to support an amended U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) released earlier this week. The decision was contingent on a number of changes made to the deal at the insistence of … Read More
NFU Applauds Passage of Farm Workforce Modernization Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives today voted in favor of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill to reform the agricultural labor system in the United States. The product of negotiations between a diverse array of agricultural stakeholders and farmworker advocates, … Read More