Minnesota Farmers Union kicks off Week of Action

Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) today launched a Week of Action in Minnesota and across the country to tell Congress it must take quick and decisive legislative action to pass a comprehensive farm bill that supports family farmers, ranchers and consumers.

“Minnesota’s family farmers are accustomed to managing uncertainty, it’s an inherit part of farming. However, for nearly 100 years, they’ve had the certainty that comes from having a federal Farm Bill in place,” said MFU President Gary Wertish. “Now, not only are farmers managing razor thin profit margins, increasingly concentrated markets, federal funding freezes and a renewed trade war, they are operating under a Farm Bill that expired in 2023 and has been renewed a year at a time. With all the challenges facing family farmers this spring, we need a new, updated Farm Bill. Farmers are counting on it.”

“Family farmers are on edge, and the farm economy is faltering. Without the certainty of a strong, five- year farm bill, farmers are left exposed to mounting risks and instability,” said National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew. “This week, farmers and ranchers across the country are raising their voices to urge Congress to act - for farmers’ sake. Their stories make clear what’s at stake, not just for agriculture, but for the rural communities that depend on it.”

Hundreds of farmers and ranchers from across the country will be advocating from their farms and Washington, D.C. Together, they’ll highlight policy priorities recently approved during NFU’s 123rd anniversary convention in March, where family farmers and ranchers shaped NFU’s grassroots policy platform. Members will urge Congress to pass a strong, bipartisan five-year farm bill that:

• Strengthens the farm safety net

• Builds upon voluntary conservation programs

• Restores balance and opportunity in the marketplace

• Delivers fast and reliable risk management programs

• Garners broad support from both farmers and consumers

The Farmers Union Week of Action will also push advocacy efforts at the state and local level. Many farmers will be participating in the Week of Action from their fields as the spring planting season is underway across the country.

For more details on the Week of Action, visit https://nfu.org/forfarmerssake.