National Farmers Union (United States)
National Farmers Union is a national federation of state Farmers Union organizations in the United States. The organization was founded in 1902 in Point, Texas, and is now headquartered in Washington, D.C. Today, the organization continues its original mission: to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers and ranchers and their rural communities. It does this by promoting legislation and education beneficial to farmers, and by developing cooperative buying and selling methods and businesses. The current president is Rob Larew, and the vice president is Patty Edelburg. Former NFU Presidents have included Roger Johnson, Tom Buis, and David Frederickson.
Today, National Farmers Union represents more than 200,000 family farms and ranches across the United States. There are organized chapters in 33 different states, and proposals are often started at the local level before moving up to the state and national levels. Once in the spring and once in the fall, leaders of NFU convene in Washington, D.C., to talk with legislators about solutions to problems they are facing.
They state their mission as, "To advocate for the economic and social well-being, and quality of life of family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and consumers and their communities through education, cooperation and legislation. NFU advocates sustainable production of food, fiber, feed and fuel." They also state, "NFU will continue to be the respected, influential and independent national voice and coalition leader that bridges family producers and consumers on behalf of a vibrant and growing grassroots membership."
History
National Farmers Union was founded in 1902, and since then has been politically involved in many issues. It was only a year later that they formed their first marketing cooperative. In the early 1900s they campaigned for both a parcel post system, direct election of senators, and voting rights for women. Their efforts also led to the enactment of the Federal Farm Loan Act. This act established twelve Federal Land Banks.In 1931 the organization established the Farmers Union Central Exchange and in 1936 it promoted the Commodity Exchange Act. In 1934, it absorbed the once-powerful American Society of Equity. In 1943, NFU campaigned to make school lunches permanent, and two years later was a founding member of Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe. NFU once again made their mark on school lunches when they helped pass school milk legislation through Congress. 1954 also saw the organization fight for a refund of the federal gas tax for gasoline used for agricultural purposes.
In 1949 the NFU fought hard for the Brannan Plan which would provide generous subsidies to farmers, especially to those with smaller than average operations. All the other major farm groups opposed the Brannan Plan, and it never passed Congress.
In 1966, NFU worked to fight poverty by founding Green Thumb, which secures employment for low-income and older workers. When efforts were made to eliminate the United States Department of Agriculture as a cabinet-level agency, NFU was successful in blocking these efforts.
During the 1970s, NFU was influential in the development of rural health systems, and was also included as part of the World Hunger Action Council. In 1980, the organization was influential in passing a capital gains tax on foreigners who held US farmland.
In 1982, NFU was influential in getting a portion of the military budget shifted to humanitarian food aid using commodity surpluses from the US. In 1990, the organization pushed for increased regulation of and a national standard for organically-produced food. In 2002, NFU was one of the leaders of a coalition of 165 farm and consumer groups that helped establish mandatory country-of-origin labeling. It took even more additional effort in order for the country-of-origin labeling to be officially implemented, and NFU led the charge. The labeling finally went into effect September 30, 2008, but is still being fought by multinational meat companies.
History of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Farmers Union has a long and impressive history regarding equality and opportunities for women. Unlike many organizations at the time, Farmers Union did not distinguish a separate women's auxiliary or distinguish membership of women differently than that of men. In 1908, the Pleasant Valley Union in Rooks County, Kansas elected Miss Amanda Bates as the in Farmers Union history. This was more than a decade before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. In 1925, the Alabama Farmers Union elected Ida Mathis to be the first state president in Farmers Union history. The first female to be elected to Wisconsin Farmers Union's board was Mrs. Ruth Huntington of Mondovi, Wis. in 1952.In 1930, National Farmers Union established a youth education program as women from across the U.S. pushed for formalized youth involvement in the organization.
In November of 2017, the Wood-Portage-Waupaca County chapter of Wisconsin Farmers Union elected as the first Muslim county president in Farmers Union history.
Current activities
Renewable energy and the environment
National Farmers Union is active in promoting renewable energy sources such as ethanol, biodiesel and wind energy. They were influential in the passing of the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005. This standard mandates the use of of renewable fuels by 2012, which represents a doubling of domestic renewable fuel production. The organization has also been supportive of legislation promoting gas stations that carry E-85. The organization is in favor of an ethanol fuel tax incentive.Another project that NFU is currently working on is a carbon credit program. It allows farmers to earn income by storing carbon in their soil through “no-till crop production, conversion of cropland to grass, sustainable management of native rangelands and tree plantings”. In the program’s first two years of operation, it has earned over $8 million for participating producers.
Transportation
For transportation, NFU supports “a well-maintained system of waterways, railways and roads works to ensure the free flow of products to the market.” The organization also supports the continued expansion of telecomm utilities into rural areas, as well as adequate health care, including increased funding for emergency response personnel and greater access to prescription drugs.Economic policy
The organization is opposed to the privatization of Social Security, citing the fact that rural America is aging faster than the rest of the nation while economic growth has been significantly slower. NFU makes a distinction between "Free Trade" and "Fair Trade", and is in favor of policies that protect family farms and ranches. In the marketplace today, it has become difficult for these family farms to compete with countries with lesser environmental and labor standards.NFU supports Country-of-Origin Labeling. COOL was first passed in 2002 and then refined in 2008, mandates that muscle cuts of meat and some vegetables, nuts and fruits sold at retail must contain a label informing consumers about the country where the product was sourced.