By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy The Climate Column has covered a number of grazing practices that encourage soil health, such as prescribed grazing and rotational grazing. These practices store atmospheric carbon in the soil while protecting forage from the increasingly volatile precipitation patterns driven by climate change, allowing producers to both mitigate … Read More
By Lura Roti, South Dakota Farmers Union When Cheryl and Fred Schaefers tied the knot 40 years ago, the two shared a strong passion for farming. And, along with crops and livestock, the couple wanted to raise a large family. “We originally wanted 12 kids. Fred is the youngest of 9 and I am the … Read More
By Steven Emmen, NFU Intern Earlier this week, we briefly discussed what the prior appropriation system is and its unique characteristics. To give beginning farmers a better idea of the practical application of prior appropriation, we reached out to a farmer on the western slope of Colorado. Harrison Topp manages a peach farm and is currently … Read More
By Steven Emmen, NFU Intern It would be very difficult to be a successful farmer without adequate access to water. Depending on the topography of the region and the basin that a farmer is diverting from, they will face vastly different issues when acquiring water. When managing water resources there are two things to always remember: the … Read More
By Steven Emmen, NFU Intern It would be very difficult to be a successful farmer without adequate access to water. Depending on the topography of the region and the basin that a farmer is diverting from, they will face vastly different issues when acquiring water. When managing water resources there are two things to always remember: the … Read More
By Robert Parkhurst, Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Markets Director at Environmental Defense Fund With international trade pressures, low commodity prices, and unpredictable weather patterns, it’s a tough time for agriculture right now. But farmers are now and have always been innovative and resilient – and very resourceful. That’s why a new opportunity might be of interest to … Read More
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Pricing has been one of the most difficult ideas in farming for me to wrap my head around. Estimating cost of production can be difficult in a small but highly diversified operation. Most farmers don’t keep track of how many hours were spent weeding and managing rows of carrots versus rows … Read More
By Skylar Schneider, NFU Executive Assistant Nearly 100 years ago, Congress passed the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, which was written to both address abuses by major livestock and poultry meatpackers as well as ensure effective competition within the market. The act prohibits unfair practices and undue preferences, and aims to shield producers from anti-competitive … Read More
By Chris Holman, Co-Owner/Operator of Nami Moon Farms As beginning producers, what sorts of obstacles do we create in order to keep doing what we’re doing? There were plenty of them, but today let’s talk about one that will kill you and your farm faster than almost any other—price. When we started out at Nami … Read More
By Tom Giessel, NFU Historian Owen Franklin Dornblazer was the 11th person to join The Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union of America in 1902. He lived to the age of 94 and was active in organizational and membership work until the final few months of his life. At age 85, addressing the 1926 NFU convention, … Read More