Month: August 2011

by Tony Jarboe, NFU communications coordinator Nearly one in four rural Americans rate the health care in their communities either fair or poor, according to a poll commissioned by United Health Care. That is twice the rate that urban residents rate the health care in their communities in either of those categories. This poll corroborates … Read More

By Jan Ahlen, NFU Climate and Energy Coordinator ÖkoFen Pellet Heating in Austria and Krinner “The Ground Screws” in Germany. These are the names of two companies that have profited from the opportunities of German and Austrian renewable energy laws. ÖkoFen manufactures pellet boilers and 80 percent of their revenue comes from exports. Krinner manufactures … Read More

By Amy Czerniak, NFU Intern As my summer as a National Farmers Union (NFU) intern draws to a close, I am struck by how quickly the past few months have flown by and at the amount I have learned in such a short period of time.  When I journeyed to Washington, D.C., at the beginning … Read More

By Jan Ahlen, NFU Climate and Energy Coordinator Editor’s note:  NFU Climate and Energy Coordinator Jan Ahlen and a group of leaders from across the United States are in Europe from Aug. 21 to Aug. 27 to participate in the Renewables and Rural Energy Opportunities Study Tour organized by Ecologic Institute and the Atlantic Council … Read More

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU Government Relations Representative   NFU is proud to join the United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. Senate and countless other agricultural, consumer, business and social justice organizations worldwide in celebrating 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives. The NFU board of directors recently adopted a Co-op resolution recognizing this special event. … Read More

By Tony Jarboe, NFU Communications Coordinator U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has declared this week, Aug. 7-13, to be National Farmers Market Week. In his proclamation, Secretary Vilsack said that “thousands of farmers markets across the country offer consumers affordable, convenient, and the healthful products sold directly to consumers in their freshest possible state.” … Read More

By Amy Czerniak, NFU Intern Jordan and I attended a small intern meet and greet with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Friday afternoon. With many important decisions both on the horizon and currently being made in Washington, D.C., Secretary Vilsack held a question and answer session to both learn what agriculture interns are … Read More

Richard Oswald, Missouri Farmers Union president, was a panelist at a briefing held last week by Rep. Carnahan, D-Mo., sharing his experiences with the devastating floods this year. The following is from his presentation: My wife Linda, our son Ryan and I are out of our home near Langdon, Mo., due to flooding. The house … Read More

By Roger Johnson, NFU President Over the past four weeks, I had the opportunity to visit many states throughout the Midwest. I set off in late June on a month-long adventure with stops in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, and Michigan. I drove many miles and saw a lot of countryside. The weather … Read More