FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – In its final hours under President Donald Trump’s jurisdiction, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued three waivers retroactively exempting oil refineries from their 2018 and 2019 obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The decision comes on the heels of the … Read More
Farmers Union Congratulates Dr. Jewel Bronaugh on Deputy Secretary Nomination
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden yesterday nominated Dr. Jewel Bronaugh to serve as his Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to hold the second-in-command position at the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA). Dr. Bronaugh, who has been … Read More
U.S. Farm & Biofuel Leaders Condemn Rumors of Last-Minute RFS Waivers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 13, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – America’s top biofuel and farm advocates called on President Trump to reject last-minute attacks on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and American farmers throughout the country, a plan reported to be under consideration by Andrew Wheeler, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). … Read More
Tenth Circuit Court Plaintiffs Respond to Supreme Court Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2021 Contact: Hannah Packman, 303-819-8737 hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will review the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit’s decision in RFA et al. v. EPA, which overturned three inappropriately granted small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The following is a statement … Read More
Farm & Biofuel Coalition Rejects EPA’s Excuses for Failing to Comply with 2017 Court Order
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