The farmer’s share of the food dollar has reached an all-time low. For every dollar American consumers spend on food, U.S. farmers and ranchers earn just 14.6 cents, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. This value marks a 17 percent decline since 2011 and the smallest portion of the American food …
Farming Groups Call for Swift Farm Bill Passage
The two largest farming groups in the United States called for swift passage of the farm bill by a congressional conference committee. Faced with the lowest farm income in 12 years, the presidents of the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union are asking Senate and House conferees to move quickly. Everything from commodity price supports to childhood nutrition, …
Farmers Union Wants Immediate Action on E15 Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency’s delay in allowing year-round use of E15 gasoline threatens to harm markets for family farmers. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson wrote a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, urging the EPA to immediately institute a waiver for summertime sales of E15. Johnson says the year-round use of E15 would have significant benefits for farmers, the …
Farmers Union Urges USDA to Proactively Address Farm Suicide Crisis
The National Farmers Union says many farmers and ranchers are coping with alarming levels of stress, and that farmers and ranchers commit suicide at a rate five times that of the general population. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, NFU President Roger Johnson urged the Department of Agriculture to “develop a response to the farm suicide crisis.” Johnson …
NFU President Johnson: Tax Reform Hurts Farm Bill
The recent tax reform package will hurt farm bill negotiations, according to National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson. He says President Trump’s tax package will affect farmers in two ways. Tax Citing PAYGO – a budget rule requiring that tax cuts as well as increases in entitlement and other mandatory spending must be covered by tax increases or cuts …