Halfway to Our Goal With Feeding America

December 20, 2011Blog No Comments

By Tony Jarboe, NFU communications coordinator It is the holiday season, and for many, that means giving gifts, spending time with family, and eating lots of food. Unfortunately, for 37 million hungry Americans, the holiday season means little more than just searching for the next meal. That is why NFU has partnered with Feeding America … Read More

Buy Fresh; Eat Local Recipes

December 6, 2011Blog No Comments

By Maria Miller, NFU education director Here is the second in a series of recipes from the NFU Beginning Farmer Institute Class of 2011 using an ingredient they raise on the farm.  This comes to you fresh from the Erin Schneider farm in Wisconsin. Salsa Verde 1 1/2 cup tomatillo (slightly roasted) 1/2 cup onion … Read More

Horse: It’s NOT What’s for Dinner

December 5, 2011Blog No Comments

By Tony Jarboe, NFU communications coordinator The agriculture appropriations bill signed by President Obama shortly before Thanksgiving contained a little-known provision that allowed funding to be used to inspect horse slaughterhouses. The inspections were defunded in 2006, meaning that horse meat could no longer legally be sold in the U.S. A June report by the … Read More

Down But Not Forgotten, the Fight for Competition Continues

November 18, 2011Blog No Comments

By Mike Stranz, NFU government relations representative It has been a rough two weeks for fairness and competition in livestock and poultry markets. Decision makers in the nation’s capitol have turned their backs to the voices of independent farmers and ranchers who have tried to make their voices heard in support of the Grain Inspection … Read More

False Choice and the Farm Bill

November 18, 2011Blog No Comments

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU government relations representative As the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction continues to debate ways to find $1.2 trillion in savings, we are hearing plenty of rhetoric from committee members and other elected officials about the “difficult choices” we need to make as a country about what our priorities for the … Read More

BFI Participants are ‘Growing Good Taste’

November 15, 2011Blog No Comments

By Maria Miller, NFU education director Participants of NFU’s Beginning Farmer Institute recently toured America’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and inspected a number of Minnesota’s most innovative farms. Meeting for the second time in as many months, the BFI participants also learned more about farm ownership options and how to transition operations from one generation to … Read More

American Ethanol: The Key to American Energy Security

October 18, 2011Blog No Comments

By Jan Ahlen, NFU climate and energy coordinator The U.S biofuels industry is at a crossroads. On one hand, the industry is creating jobs in rural America, reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and cleaning up our air. On the other hand, the industry is under threat by misguided politicians and special interest groups. Now … Read More

National School Lunch Week Helps Promote Local Foods

October 17, 2011Blog No Comments

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU government relations representative This past week, Oct. 10-14, we celebrated National School Lunch Week under the theme, “School Lunch — Let’s Grow Healthy.” For family farmers, there’s no greater illustration of this theme than recognition of the recent gains that have been made in getting food from local farms into schoolchildren’s … Read More