What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Stripcropping

December 26, 2016Climate Column

By Thomas Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education As noted frequently here at the Climate Column (for example, in last week’s post on grassed waterways), preventing soil erosion is an important way farmers can adapt to and mitigate climate change. Impeding erosion improves soil health. This, in turn, allows soil to both store … Read More

Access to Capital: Barnraiser Q&A

December 22, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern David Whittaker, Owner of Oak Meadows Farm in Ferndale, WA, successfully raised $5,365 through a Barnraiser crowdfunding campaign. David raises pastured hens, turkeys and quail for meat and egg production. Read through this short Q&A to find out more about his experience accessing capital to grow his operation. Why did … Read More

Access to Capital: Crowdfunding

December 20, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Are you a farmer with a well-considered and lucrative plan for value-added production, but without the business history to secure a loan for the necessary equipment? Do you think your customers would pitch in to help you buy a smaller tractor if they could secure preferred access to the produce you … Read More

What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Grassed Waterways

December 19, 2016Climate Column

By Thomas Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and Education The Climate Column has discussed several practices to avoid soil erosion, such as no-till and cover crops, that farmers can use to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Preventing erosion is critical to building healthy soils that store carbon from the atmosphere, mitigating the negative impacts … Read More

Access to Capital: Farm Service Agency

December 15, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Mike Nolan, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union; President, Four Corners Farmers and Ranchers Coalition Three years ago in August, I bought a small, 13-acre parcel of irrigated land in the Mancos Valley of Colorado. I had been farming for 6 years at that point, but paying a mortgage and building permanent infrastructure was completely new to me. … Read More

Poultry Growers Seek Fairness, Basic Protections in Highly Concentrated Sector

December 15, 2016Blog

By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Coordinator Of all the metaphorical cogs and gears in the American food supply chain, farmers and ranchers arguably make the most significant contribution, yet they receive only a small portion of the American food dollar. Indeed, more than 80% of national food expenditures go to processors, distributors, retailers, and advertisers, … Read More

Access to Capital: Introduction

December 13, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Tom Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education The stability of the food supply in the United States depends upon farmers’ access to credit. Credit presents challenges to all farmers and ranchers because cash flows differently for farms than it does for many other types of businesses. But obstacles to credit can be especially … Read More

What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Filter Strips

December 12, 2016Climate Column

By Trixie Wessel, NFU Intern NFU’s Climate Column recently covered the practice of creating field borders. This week, we’re talking about a similar practice: filter strips. Filter strips, also known as buffer strips, are areas of vegetation planted between cropland and surface water to obstruct the passage of  sediment and pollutants into environmentally sensitive areas. Filter strips trap suspended solids … Read More

Access to Land: Succession Planning

December 8, 2016Beginning Farmers

For beginning producers who farm and ranch on intergenerational family operations, good succession planning is essential to securing access to land. By Brittany Ann Bula, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Beginning Farmer Institute 2016-2017 As a 4th generation farmer, and as my parents grow older, the touchy subject of secession farming is brought up more often than not. … Read More

Access to Land: Introduction

December 8, 2016Beginning Farmers

By Tom Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education National Farmer Union’s historic concern and advocacy for the vitality of family farming and rural communities demands that every person involved with the organization works to ensure beginning producers can successfully engage in farming and support their families with sustainable businesses. NFU’s policy, established by the … Read More