By Lisa Kivirist, Endowed Chair at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, author of Soil Sisters Just as we farmers need to care for our soil, we also need to nurture our minds and plant new idea seeds to shape a healthy business vision. That’s exactly what’s on the menu for women farmers at this year’s … Read More
Access to Markets: LocalFood App
By Elise Rothman, Founder of LocalMotive Is there a proven strategy to boost demand and revenue for local food? And if so, can the local food shift be measured? LocalMotive, a Public Benefit Corp out of Manitou Springs, Colorado, thinks they may have the answers. In 2015, they piloted LocalFood, a mobile application (“app”) that uses … Read More
NFU at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture
By Chris Holman, NFU Member In mid-January, I flew to Berlin to attend the annual Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), this year entitled “Agriculture and Water – The Key to Feeding the World.” While there, I represented National Farmers Union (NFU) and the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), and served as the North American … Read More
As U.S. Trade Deficit Grows, NFU Calls for Renewed Trade Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (February 7, 2017) – The U.S. Commerce Department announced today that the U.S. trade deficit grew to $502 billion in 2016, marking its highest level in four years. Pointing to the need to reset the nation’s trade agenda and address the massive trade … Read More
Access to Markets: Local Food Databases
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern As technology revolutionizes travel, products, games, and people, food producers should be looking to identify its role in food access. In what ways can technology facilitate the relationship between farmers and consumers? During the most recent Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program … Read More
Family Farmers, Ranchers Unhappy with Unnecessary Delay to Farmer Fair Practices Rules, NFU Says
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2017 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (February 6, 2017) – Further delaying a much-anticipated and necessary set of protections for family farmers and ranchers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today pushed back the effective date and comment periods for the three Farmer Fair Practices Rules. National Farmers Union … Read More
What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Silvopasture
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation As discussed previously in the Climate Column, trees sequester carbon that, if left in the atmosphere, would trap heat and contribute to climate change. Growing trees on farmland allows producers to store more carbon while simultaneously achieving other advantages for their farms’ productivity. The National Agroforestry Center (NAC) shares information on … Read More
Access to Land: Boulder County Land Lease Program
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern, and Vanessa McCracken, Agricultural Resource Specialist for Boulder County Parks & Open Space Boulder County, whose most populous city is the eponymous Boulder, Colorado, is home to the University of Colorado Buffs, and is infamous for an expansive population of tree hugging, rock loving, spiritually centered citizens. In the 1970’s, an intergovernmental … Read More
How to Work with FDA on Food Guidance Documents
How to Work with FDA on Food Guidance DocumentsBy London Muegge, Education InternContact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600cmatzen@nfudc.orgJanuary 31, 2017If you are a food industry association and want to create a guidance document to help your members meet federal standards, what’s the best way to involve the FDA in this effort? The agency drafts its own documents, … Read More
Access to Land: Farming on County Property
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern As land values in many parts of the county continue to rise, and as urban development threatens rural landscapes, county governments have begun taking stewardship of farmland and its development rights in order to make the land available to farmers. Though programs vary in structure and funding, they share the … Read More