Friday, January 16, 2009
History
1902: NFU is founded by grassroots farmers concerned with stability and farm income
1903: Farmers Union forms first marketing cooperative
1906: NFU urged establishment of parcel post system
1911: NFU pushes for direct election of U.S. senators
1916: Dismanded program of low-interest, long-term credit, resulting in the enactment of the Federal Farm Loan Act establishing 12 Federal Land Banks and advocated voting rights for women
1921: Successfully lobbied for adoption of Packers and Stockyards Act
1922: Supported Capper-Volstead Act
1926: Farmers Union Terminal Association began operating
1927: Launched Farmers Union Central Exchange (now CHS) as a subsidiary of Farmers Union Terminal Association
1930: Established Farmers Union youth education program
1933: Advocated incorporation of farmer-elected committees to administer farm programs
1935: Played a key role in operation of Rural Electric Association resources as Cooperatives
1936: Became chief architect and promoter of the Commodity Exchange Act
1943: Proposed school lunch programs be made permanent
1945: Founding member of Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE). Farmers Union is one of the non-governmental organizations that supports and sponsors the United Nations
1954: Succeeded in passage of school milk legislation by Congress and sought refund of federal gas tax on agricultural non-highway uses
1966: Waged war on poverty by instituting the Green Thumb program (now Experience Works) which still today places low-income, older workers in jobs
1971: Blocked efforts to eliminate USDA as a cabinet-level agency
1974: Included in newly formed World Hunger Action Council and promoted develoopment of rural health co-ops
1976: Won authorization for Small Business Administration to make loans to farmers
1978: Achieved adoption of legislation requiring foreign owners to disclose U.S. farmland holdings. Backed creation of National Consumer Co-op Bank
1979: Carried out massive “Save our Co-op” campaign
1980: Won lobbying effort to impose capital gains taxation of foreign investors holding U.S. farmland
1982: Succeeded in having part of the military budget shifted to humanitarian food aid using surplus U.S. commodities
1983: Worked to protect family dairy farmers by helping to develop dairy legislation to reduce excessive milk production and secured passage of emergency farm credit legislation to defer FHA loans to help keep farmers in business
1984: Achieved court ruling requiring the Farmers Home Administration to disclose options to troubled borrowers
1985: Pressured the Food and Drug Administation (FDA) to slap the hands of four large chemical companies that were promoting bovine growth hormone (BGH) without FDA approval
1990: Promoted regulations to set national standards for organically-produced foods
1991: Influenced Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act
1993: Raised awareness of problems associated with international trade agreements
1995: Fought for price-oriented farm bill and against disassociation farm programs and price
1996: Succeeded in adoption of legislation to allow farmers and ranchers to increase income tax deductibility of health insurance premiums to 80 percent
1996: Brought agricultural concentration to the forefront of legislative agendas
1997: Launched the “Change the Cheese Exchange” campaign which effectively took the National Cheese Exchange out of the Basic Formula Price
1998: Conducted a nationwide marketing flexibility campaign aimed at removing the caps placed on loan rates and were successful in securing $7 billion in farm relief
1999: Held “Rural Unity Day” events in Farmers Union states to bring together farm groups, business owners, bankers, church groups and Congressional delegations to heighten awareness of the farm crisis and its impact on all segments of the community. “Put the Unity Back in Community” events were successful as Congress delivered $8.7 billion in farm relief
2000: Farmers Union organized the largest farm rally on the U.S. Capitol Mall in two decades. The rally included a broad group of nearly 40 organizations concerned that the nation’s farm program has failed to provide economic stability and opportunity to rural America. Participants urged Congress to rewrite and improve the “Freedom to Farm” program
2001: Farmers Union was a major player in the debate on a new farm bill. Although we did not see new national farm policy, Farmers Union’s fingerprints were visible on much of the farm bill policy discussed. We made significant strides in many areas of our policy which came out of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s proposal such as, raising loan rates, updating yields, mandatory country-of-origin labeling for fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and peanuts, contract grower protection and increased funding for conservation programs
2002: Won country-of-origin labeling after years of advocacy. NFU spearheaded a coalition of 165 farm and consumer groups to advocate mandatory country-of-origin labeling, which was included in the 2002 Farm Bill
2005: Led effort to push for the passage of a Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). The new RFS will mandate the use of 8 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel by 2012. Supported legislation to provide tax credits for the construction of E-85 fueling stations. Launched “e-cooperatives.com” as part of an initiative called “Growing Farm Business on the Internet”
