FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 7, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – Today, a coalition of the nation’s largest biofuels and agricultural trade groups filed its reply in support of its motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia. The motion, originally filed on November 23, 2020, asks the court to … Read More
New Year, New Water Test
By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator Organize the tools. Clean the barn. Patch the pants. As farmers make their New Year’s resolutions, produce growers have an extra one to add: test the water. Contaminated water is often the culprit of produce-related food borne illnesses – but with proper precautions, it can be avoided. … Read More
Farmers Union Condemns Violent Effort to Undermine Democracy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 6, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – As Congress prepared to verify the results of the 2020 presidential election today, a group of far-right insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol building, vandalizing and stealing federal property, assaulting Capitol police officers, and threatening lawmakers with violence. The event, which occurred mere blocks … Read More
How the Justice for Black Farmers Act Levels the Playing Field
By Mackenzie Jeter, NFU Intern A hundred years ago, agriculture was a relatively diverse profession in the United States: a million Black farmers operated about 14 percent of the country’s farms. The makeup of the modern agricultural workforce could not look more different. Today, there are just 48,000 Black farmers – a 95 percent decline … Read More
Farmers Union Welcomes Stimulus Package, Urges Biden Administration to Follow Up with Additional Assistance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – After months of negotiations, Congress today passed a $900 billion pandemic relief bill. As the pandemic has worn on over the last several months, National Farmers Union (NFU) has repeatedly urged legislators to provide American families and businesses with the help they need … Read More
Using Old Methods to Teach New Food Safety Techniques
By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator Built on Booker T. Washington’s practice of taking educational opportunities to rural areas, designed by George Washington Carver, and financed by Morris Jesup, Jesup Wagons were “moveable schools” that delivered the university classroom experience to farmers across Alabama. Back in 1906, they were horse-drawn wagons but gradually evolved with the … Read More
Rule Fails to Protect Farmers from Discriminatory Practices, According to Farmers Union
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 10, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON –Due to unchecked corporate consolidation in the livestock industry, family farmers and ranchers have been subject to unfair and anticompetitive practices. But a new rule finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) falls short of providing meaningful protections from such practices. The … Read More
Farmers Union Announces New Climate Change Policy Advisory Panel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – To strengthen its ongoing efforts to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, National Farmers Union (NFU) today announced its new Climate Change Policy Advisory Panel (CCPAP). The panel’s 16 family farmer and rancher members will inform the organization’s climate-related legislative work, educational programming, outreach, and communications. … Read More
EPA, DOJ Oppose Refiner Request for Supreme Court Review of Tenth Circuit Decision on RFS Exemptions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In a filing submitted yesterday, the Department of Justice recommended against Supreme Court review of the Tenth Circuit Court’s ruling earlier this year that invalidated several small refinery exemptions issued by EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The DOJ filing is in … Read More
Vilsack to Reprise Role of Ag Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 8, 2020 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – Several media outlets today reported that President-elect Joe Biden intends to nominate Tom Vilsack to return to his previous post of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, which he held for eight years under President Barack Obama. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew released … Read More