Issue 604 ~ June 16, 2023

Every couple of years, National Farmers Union gathers the staff and leadership of our state divisions for our State-to-State Forum. This year, the State-to-State Forum took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota where attendees heard from a variety of speakers and participated in breakout presentations.

Keynote Speaker Zephyr Teachout talked to attendees about her work on competition in the economy and how Farmers Union is leading the fight against corporate consolidation with the Fairness for Farmers campaign, and paid homage to our rich history.

State-to-State participants also had the opportunity to attend a farm tour at Shrader's Farm in Nerstrand. Following the farm tour, we made our way to Keepsake Cidery in Dundas for another tour and dinner.

Kicking off the second day of State-to-State, participants had the choice of attending one of three breakout sessions. One focused on engaging with 4H and FFA chapters in states, another discussed social media strategy, and the final session talked about Farmers Union's involvement and leadership in several local meat processing projects.

New Food Safety Blog Series

Read the first installment of ten blog posts authored by food safety expert and former NFU Food Safety Trainer, Billy Mitchell. Our first post highlights an aerated static composting system out of Savannah, Georgia: Code of Return Compost.

Calling All Farmers Union Members!

We want to feature YOU! Respond to the form below to be featured in a member spotlight on Farmers Union social media feeds and newsletters.

Respond Here

New Podcast Episode: "Diving Into Ponics Systems with Sean Fogarty"

Have you ever pondered ponics? Dive into the world of aqua and hydroponics with our latest episode of the Food Safety Dish! We interviewed ponics & food safety expert, Sean Fogarty from NECAFS to get the dish. Tune in to hear all about these systems, how food safety risks change, and how you might begin to start a ponics system of your own!

Listen Here!

Iowa Farmers Union COVER Act Info Session

Fairness for Farmers Highlight

We're glad to have anti-trust champion Zephyr Teachout on our side in the fight against monopoly power. Are you with us?

REMINDERS

Save the Date: Fly-In 2023

Washington, DC from September 11-13, 2023! A longtime Farmers Union tradition, the Fly-In is an opportunity for Farmers Union members from around the country to gather in the nation's capital, speak directly with their elected representatives in the House and Senate, and engage with federal agencies like the USDA.

As Congress works toward the 2023 Farm Bill, Fly-In will be a great opportunity to talk to federal officials when agriculture is top of mind in D.C.

Learn more about last year's policy priorities and advocacy tips at the link below. Updates on 2023 Fly-In will be posted there in the weeks to come! You can also contact your state Farmers Union division for more information on signing up to attend.

Learn more here!

Spanish Language Food Safety Training: Train the Trainer (PSR 101)

On June 27th, Food Safety CTS will be hosting a Train the Trainer event in Spanish for producers, managers, and agriculture professionals. This virtual class is free, registration can be found here.

If you have questions about the training, please contact training@foodsafetycts.com

A PDF of this document can be found here.

Signup Extended to July 14 for PARP and ERP-2 Disaster Programs

USDA has extended the application deadline for the Emergency Relief Program Phase 2 (ERP-2) and the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP). These two programs are intended to fill gaps that were left from previous assistance efforts, and provide financial assistance to producers who suffered losses due to natural disasters in 2020 or 2021 or lost revenue due to the pandemic in 2020.

Check out the links above or visit your local Farm Service Agency Office for more information.