The family farmer loses again…the trashing of the Farmer Fair Practice Rule When Secretary of Agriculture Perdue announced that the USDA will move forward with trashing the newly implemented “Farmer Fair Practice Rule” I feel he sent a clear message to America that the USDA is solely on the side of the four major [...]
By Mary Fund Mary Fund is Executive Director of the Kansas Rural Center, a non-profit research, education and advocacy group supporting a sustainable agriculture and food system. She edits KRC’s quarterly newsletter, Rural Papers, as well as KRC’s Weekly Policy Watch E-Updates during the Kansas legislative session. She is a member of Kansas Farmers [...]
By Don Stull Don Stull is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Kansas and coauthor of Slaughterhouse Blues: The Meat and Poultry Industry of North America. He is member of the Kansas Farmers Union, Vice President of the Organization for Competitive Markets, and on the board of directors of the Socially Responsible [...]
By Mary Howell U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, held his 2017 Conservation Tour to learn more about conservation efforts across the state on Thursday, September 21st. This year’s annual tour, based in the Manhattan area and the Flint Hills, focused on water and soil conservation, grassland prairie preservation, and river sustainability. Sen. Moran has held regular tours [...]
Kansas Farmers Union has a wonderful collection of longtime members in our family. Here is a question that I ponder frequently. We are the family farm organization that is passionate about keeping families on their farm. We advocate for the policies that our members believe strongly about and want to see [...]
By Mary HowellMake plans to attend the Kansas Farmers Union Convention, December 1-2, 2017 at the Best Western, Emporia, KS. Special guests for the two-day event are Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker, Erika Nelson, Kurt & Andi Dale, and Jason Schmidt.This year’s theme of “Bridges” appears many times as we discuss ways to make connections: finding [...]
By Tom Parker “Peaches,” Tom Brown said. “For five years I asked hundreds and hundreds of people in the Wichita area about what kinds of produce they would pay a premium for, and, I’m serious, I think 99 percent of them said fresh peaches.” That’s because a fresh-picked, straight-off-the-tree peach is a succulent [...]
By Olivia Taylor-Puckett As the 2014 Farm Bill nears expiration in 2018, many farmers and ranchers are concerned with the contents of the next Farm Bill and how long Congress will take to craft it. The importance of access to affordable healthcare, concerns of potential cuts to funds for a strong farm safety net [...]
By Donn TeskeOn September 14th, I accompanied Forrest Buhler, of the Kansas Ag Mediation Service, to Hill briefings in Washington DC. The briefings were held on both the House and Senate sides informing and educating Congressional aides about the Ag Mediation program, which is currently active in 41 states.We were two of five representing CAMP [...]
By Mike Gilmore LARNED -- After a scary start, the wheels have begun to slowly turn on the 2018 Farm Bill. Farmers and their governing agencies are in agreement that the last Farm Bill – though well-intentioned – failed as a producer’s safety net due to drastic funding cuts in a plummeting agricultural economy. [...]
