National Farmers Union

World Farmers Organization (WFO) President and National Farmers Union Vice President For International Affairs Robert Carlson attended the World Economic (WE) Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week at the request of the forum’s leadership. The forum meets annually to develop strategy to improve the state of the world. The gathering is a high-level assembly of business and government leaders from around the world, and is privately financed.

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National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement today to urging U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk to pursue a robust appeals process on the recent decision of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that ruled against the United States’ implementation of the country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) law:

“NFU has a proud record of supporting COOL. We were instrumental in getting the COOL laws passed in 2002 and again in 2008.

“We will oppose any attempt to change that law. Fortunately, the WTO decision against U.S. country-of-origin-labeling did not find fault with our law. It simply found fault with the rules and regulations which were used to implement the law.

“As the office of the USTR contemplates its approach to the WTO decision, we urge them to mount a robust and vigorous defense of COOL.

“We are aware that behind the scenes attempts at negotiating a settlement to the WTO decision have some stakeholders arguing that we must weaken our law. We strongly disagree and urge a fervent defense.

“Consumers have a right to know where their meat comes from – and they overwhelmingly want to know just that.”

The labeling law was passed as a part of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and amended in 2008. COOL requires retailers to notify their customers of the source of certain foods. Canada and Mexico filed a complaint against the United States’ law, which led to the recent ruling. The deadline for filing an appeal to the WTO decision is March 23, 2012.

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NFU President Roger Johnson sits down with Ken Anderson of Brownfield Ag News to discuss the 2012 Farm Bill at the Nebraska State Fair.

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NFU President Roger Johnson spoke on a panel on Aug. 3, at the American Sugar Association Sugar Symposium entitled, “Farm Policy’s Future: Weathering the Storm in Washington.” The symposium was held in Stowe, Vt.

“The 2012 Farm Bill faces quite a few hurdles, not the least of which is the budget situation,” said Johnson. “The passage of the debt ceiling bill in Congress should help give us a better idea of how much money the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Agriculture Committees will have to write the legislation. We still do not know exactly how much money we will have to write the next farm bill. Only time will tell. We do know that there will be less money available for the next farm bill, so it is critical that the agriculture community comes together to ensure that the next farm bill has everything we need, even if it doesn’t have everything we want.”

Jerry Hagstrom, director and executive editor of the Hagstrom Report moderated the panel, which featured Johnson, Mary Kay Thatcher, director of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, and Rick Tolman, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association.

“One of the most essential things that must be included in any farm bill is a strong safety net to protect family farmers and ranchers,” said Johnson. “The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program has no funding baseline past this year, and 36 other farm bill programs, including four other disaster programs, have no funding past next year. We must ensure that SURE and other disaster programs receive the funding they need. Between 1996 and 2002, the federal government made $30 billion in emergency payments to farmers and ranchers because it cut the safety net from the 1996 Farm Bill, written during a time of high prices. We must not repeat that mistake. The cost to extend SURE and other disaster programs for five years is a much more reasonable $8.9 billion. In the long run, including disaster programs in the farm bill is cost-effective.”

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It’s been a year now since USDA proposed the so-called GIPSA rule to reform livestock and poultry marketing. Last week - the U.S. House defunded the implementation of the rule in the legislation to fund USDA and related agencies.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says it’s unclear whether there will be an effort to attempt a similar rider to the ag spending measure in the Senate. If there is - he says he would expect a robust defense of the rule.

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WASHINGTON (June 22, 2011) – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule:

“The Obama Administration needs to act now to implement and enforce the GIPSA rule. Farmers and ranchers need a fair marketplace now more than ever. We have waited long enough.

“It has been one year since the GIPSA rule was proposed. Since then, more than 60,000 comments were submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the rule. It has been more than three years since the 2008 Farm Bill was passed with a mandate to put forward protections for farmers and ranchers. It is long past time to implement these reforms to protect family farmers and ranchers.

“The GIPSA rule will prevent packers from engaging in unfair and deceptive practices to harm livestock producers. Under the rule, farmers and ranchers would no longer have to prove that the abusive business practices employed by a processor against a farmer or rancher caused competitive injury to the entire livestock marketplace. The proposed rule would now require the producer simply to prove that the abuses damaged his or her operation. Doing so would return the industry to the position USDA has supported through both Republican and Democratic administrations and would simply reverse the 2006 judicial rulings against family farmers and ranchers.

“Opponents of the rule have demanded at every turn that USDA delay the rule as much as possible. To slow the process further, last week the U.S. House of Representatives, at the behest of packer-producer organizations, defunded the implementation of the rule. The rulemaking process should not take this long. The GIPSA rule should be finalized and enforced before next year’s appropriations bill is signed into law.

“The economic impact on rural America stemming from the lack of competition in livestock markets and the resulting loss of farmers and ranchers is clear. Thirty years ago there were 1.3 million beef cattle operations. Today there are only 740,000. In 1980, there were 660,000 hog farms. Today there are only 67,000. Last year alone, 2,300 hog producers went out of business.

“It is time for USDA to act in implementing the GIPSA rule, to give America’s family farmers and ranchers an opportunity to compete in an open and fair marketplace.”

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National Farmers Union (NFU) has partnered with The Climate Network to conduct a series of meetings this summer across the Midwest on the theme of renewable energy solutions. “The Renewable Energy Tour” will make stops in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin from June 27 to July 1.

“This is an educational opportunity for family farmers and ranchers, a chance to see what others like them are doing to take advantage of this increased demand for renewable energy,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Not only do renewable energy projects provide farmers and ranchers with an additional source of income, but they also help diminish America’s dependence on foreign oil while helping improve the environment.”

NFU seeks to promote renewable energy in a sustainable environment. The tour will provide information to farmers and policymakers on the benefits of renewable energy, its role in rural economic growth and the opportunity for an extra revenue stream for farmers as well as attendant environmental benefits. The tour will allow for firsthand dialogue with a German farmer and renewable energy expert. Findings will be summarized in a policy report that will be released in Washington, D.C., at the end of July.

“With the tour we hope to help grow the seed that farmers in the Midwest have planted by turning to renewable energies,” said The Climate Network Project Coordinator Till Kötter. “By sharing lessons learned in Germany, we want to support U.S. farmers on their way to becoming the energy producers of the future.”

The Climate Network is a two-year program administered by the Washington, D.C., office of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, which seeks to promote transatlantic solutions for the low carbon economy. The Heinrich Boell Foundation is a green think tank and international policy network affiliated with the German Green Party, headquarterd in Berlin, with 30 offices across the globe.

National Farmers Union has been working since 1902 to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.

This project is supported by funding from the European Commission, Energy Foundation and Packard Foundation. The EC is not responsible for the content of the project.

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Click here to visit NFU’s event calendar for more details on tour stops

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NFU President Roger Johnson discusses the World Farmers Organization with Bill Ray of Agrinet Radio. Johnson talks about the purpose of the organization and what the group hopes to accomplish. Audio courtesy of Agrinet News Network.

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 13, 2011) – The 2011 National Farmers Union (NFU) annual convention opened today in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 500 registered guests from across the country. The convention, themed, “Spur to Action,” is where NFU members are able define the focus of the organization’s work.

NFU President Roger Johnson took the stage during the opening banquet, delivering the State of the Farmers Union address. NFU has been representing farmers, ranchers, fishermen and rural Americans for more than 100 years, reaching out to all agriculturalists – no matter the size, scope or method of production.

“National Farmers Union is a diverse organization,” said Johnson. “We represent all farmers, whether small, large, traditional, organic, fruit, vegetables, livestock or grain producers. As a result, we work on a wide range of issues and benefit from a variety of perspectives.”

Johnson reviewed the successes of the previous year and looked ahead to the issues American farmers and ranchers will face in the days to come.

“We know that in this tough budget energy subsidies are going to be on the chopping block, and ethanol will continue to be a target,” said Johnson. “Let’s remind folks that the U.S. petroleum industry currently receives $46 billion in domestic subsidies, and that number reaches nearly $200 billion if defense spending to protect the supply and transit of oil is included. If biofuels will be required to give up supports, oil subsidies should also be on the table, since they are to the tune of 30 times more than ethanol. We need a level playing field.”

Johnson also addressed the budgetary challenges associated with writing the 2012 Farm Bill.

“American consumers pay less than 10 percent of their disposable income on food,” said Johnson. “It’s the best deal in the world. But part of that deal is that farmers need a safety net. The safety net should be designed to help farmers when times are tough. That is why it is critical to ensure safety nets are included in the 2012 Farm Bill.”

With policy adoption on the delegation’s agenda, the annual convention serves as the cornerstone event in deciding NFU’s policy positions.

National Farmers Union has been working since 1902 to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities through advocating grassroots-driven policy positions adopted by its membership.

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National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson, with representatives from nine other agricultural organizations, participated in a press event today calling on Congress to take action on estate tax reform during the lame-duck session.

“The estate tax was once debated as a means to achieve a more equitable society,” said Johnson. “Today, it is often viewed simply as a political device to divide the electorate and fund government programs.”

NFU’s policy supports an estate tax rate of 45 percent progressively indexed to higher rates as the value of the estate increases. An exemption level of $4 million for an individual or $8 million for a married couple should be established.

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