By Lisa Everhart Myers, Demeter Farm March was an unusual month at Demeter Farm. It was a month filled with farming convention visits, spring snow storms, and, the very best part, an Indiana Class 1A boys’ basketball championship for my alma mater, the Morristown High School Yellow Jackets. For those of you who don’t know … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 22, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delay in allowing year-round use of E15 gasoline threatens harm to markets for family farmers, according to National Farmers Union (NFU). NFU President Roger Johnson today wrote to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, urging EPA to immediately institute … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Previously on the Climate Column, we have discussed how troublesome weeds can be for agricultural operations, particularly as the climate continues to change. Although tillage can be an effective method of weed control, there are substantial drawbacks that may dissuade some farmers from implementation. One possible alternative to tillage is … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The House version of the 2018 Farm Bill failed on the House floor today by a vote of 198 to 213. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to the vote: “The rejection of the House version … Read More
By Michelle McKenzie, Co-Manager of Bellair Farm Farming for a season is hard work. Leading a crew all the way through a season and knowing you will do it all again next year is even harder work! Keeping your crew’s trust and respect is the best way to get through it all successfully. I’ve been co-managing … Read More
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Climate change been the cause, both directly and indirectly, of various challenges for agricultural producers. This list includes extreme droughts and floods, irregular growing seasons, animal and crop disease transmission, and pest migration. Another seemingly perpetual issue exacerbated by climate change is weed growth. Weeds are invasive plant species genetically … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The White House convened its final scheduled meeting yesterday on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and future of the biofuel industry, bringing together lawmakers and stakeholders from the oil and biofuel industries. The meeting concluded with an agreement to allow year-round use … Read More
By Nate Brownlee, Co-Owner and Operator of Nightfall Farm Here at Nightfall Farm, Liz and I are committed to farm in ways that conserve our natural resources, having rooted our business in the model of the triple bottom line—environmental, social, and financial. When I think back to the first season of our farm, I recall … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy If you are a regular Climate Column reader, you likely appreciate that deliberate action undertaken by farmers, policymakers and food value chain participants will make domestic and global food systems more resilient to the negative impacts of climate change. But every actor in the food … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2018 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – For every dollar consumers spend on food, the farmer receives just 14.8 cents, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The figure represents a 5 percent decrease from the previous year’s data and the lowest “farm share” since USDA began reporting … Read More