NFU announced today that it has more than doubled the acres enrolled in the organization's Carbon Credit Program. Since the program's launch in 2006, an estimated 2,400 producers from 26 states have enrolled more than 2.5 million no-till and seeded grassland acres in the voluntary program.

The enrollment period for no-till and seeded grasses ended on September 15.
 
"Our nation's producers are feeding the world, fueling the future and, through this program, playing an active role in protecting our environment," NFU President Tom Buis said. "I'm pleased to see such wide-spread support across the countryside."
 
Additionally, more than 200 applications for nearly one million acres have been received for the new managed native rangeland carbon sequestration practice in western states. These applications will be processed in the coming months.
 
Recently, partial payments totaling more than $2.3 million dollars were sent to producers and landowners who enrolled in the carbon program for 2005 and 2006. It is anticipated the remaining credits will be sold from that pool and additional payments made before the end of the year.

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Growing up on his family farm, Scott Magneson was well prepared to enter into the business himself when he came of age. Scott now manages his family's dairy farm in Cressey, Calif., that his great grandfather started in 1890, with his wife and two children, Kate and Jake, who are all integral parts of the farm operation. A photo of the Magneson farm is to the right.

Scott entered into the dairy business because he couldn't imagine doing anything else. Even his earliest childhood memories are of playing and working on the farm. For Scott, the smell of corn silage still brings back memories of helping his dad put fresh silage into feed bunks one winter many years ago, while watching the steam rising up, seemingly like magic, into the sky.

Today, Scott manages 450 acres of rich river bottom soil along the Merced River at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas and 800 Holstein milk cows which he recently began to convert to organic.

 

 

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**Each week, our members get to hear about NFU's work on Capitol Hill and around the United States. Now, we are going to show you what our members are doing across the country. This is the first in a series of Member Profiles that will appear each week in the e-newsletter. Check back to get to know your fellow Farmers Union members!

 

Do you know someone you would like to feature from your state? Contact Amber Birtcher.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin will be busy on the Senate floor this week, but not with the farm bill. In his role as chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Committee, Harkin will be leading debate on the FY2008 Labor-HHS Spending Bill.

Harkin has announced the Senate Agriculture Committee will meet the week of Oct. 22 to mark up the Senate version of the farm bill. As we reported last week, the Senate Finance Committee has approved a bill that would provide the necessary funding to create a permanent disaster assistance program - NFU's number one 2007 Farm Bill priority.

Of course, things change quickly in Congress, and we will keep you up to date.

Today is Rural Women's Day 

Oct. 15 celebrates women in rual communities and the agricultural industry throughout the world. The right to food is a universal right and rural women are aware that one has to produce healthy and quality food in an amount sufficient to feed more than 6 billion people.

The message of women farmer members of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP)--All measures must thus be taken to give farmers the opportunity to produce enough food for all. Furthermore, it is necessary to support women farmers in their work by giving them the means to produce and sell food.

 

Wisconsin Farmers Union President Sue Beitlich, who has served on the Executive Board of the IFAP Committee of Women Farmers since 2004 said, "Each year, we celebrate the efforts and achievements of women farmers from throughout the world on this special day. Women farmers should be valued and should be given every opportunity to succeed. Their hard work and tireless dedication are absolutely essential to the future of our global community."

 

Today, as we celebrate World Rural Women's Day 2007 throughout the world, women farmers wish to highlight the importance of helping and supporting men and women who produce food.

 

Read IFAP's Full Release.

 

Photo: Sue Beitlich, far left, is pictured with Sarala Gopalan of India, Karen Serres of France and Helene Cisse Kra of Cote D'Ivoire, at the 37th World Farmers' Congress of IFAP in Seoul, South Korea in May, 2006, which drew over 300 farm leaders from 70 countries.

It's only natural that consumers want to know why prices are increasing at their neighborhood grocery. The big oil lobby and a host of special interest groups have begun promulgating the myth that increased ethanol production, and its demand for corn crops, is responsible for increased food costs. It's a gross oversimplification and in fact, its plain wrong.

 

According the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), non-farm costs including marketing, processing, wholesaling, distribution and retailing account for 80 cents of every food dollar spent in the United States. For example, an 18-ounce box of Corn Flakes is priced at $3.70 in Washington, D.C. grocery stores. The farmer's share of that total? Five cents. There is a lot more at play than corn prices. Furthermore, Americans spend less on food than anywhere else in the world. Of every dollar Americans spend, just 9.9 cents is spent on food...

 

Continue reading on NFU's blog.

 

 

We are constantly updating our Media Gallery and Photo Gallery with new videos, audio clips and pictures. All videos are broadcast with QuickTime. Install QuickTime on your computer.

 

Check out some of our recent additions:

 

On Oct. 8, NFU President Tom Buis appeared on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight as the show continued its reporting on food safety scares in America following our country's second largest ground beef recall. Click on the picture at left to watch.

 

On Oct. 8, Buis appeared on AgriTalk along with National Association of State Departments of Agriculture President Roger Johnson to discuss allowing interstate shipment of meat and poultry within the United States. Click on the picture to listen.

 

More pictures from All-States Camp and this summer's Farm Forestry workshops:

 

                       

    Kansas              Minnesota              Montana            North Dakota

 

                       
South Dakota          Wisconsin      Minnesota Forestry    Iowa Forestry

 

View more pictures, see more video and listen to more audio. If you have other pictures or media you'd like to share, contact Amber Birtcher.

We hope you like the features in our Media Gallery

NFU's 2008 Convention will be held March 2 - 4 at Bally's in Las Vegas. Guaranteed to be an exciting mix of top-notch speakers, policy makers and Farmers Union members from across the country, the 2008 NFU Convention is a can't miss event.

 

Last year we were privileged to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi provide the keynote address and we are looking forward to another successful event in 2008. See you in Las Vegas!

 

               REGISTER ONLINE NOW

 

Additional Las Vegas Information:

 

Bally's Hotel and Casino Resort - Las Vegas

 

Taken from "Agricultural Prices," USDA/NASS.