Minnesota Farmers Union

What: National Farmers Union Convention

When: March 2-6, 2013

Where: Springfield, Massachusetts

Who: Mitchell Farmer-Lies of Belle Plaine; Peter and Stacy Ripka of Ogilvie; Bessie Klose of Atwater;  Gary Wertish of Renville; Jim Frederickson of Rogers; Jim Falk of Murdock; Judy Moen of Climax; Mike and JessicaRatka of Foley; Bill Sorg of Hastings; Larry Jacobson of Hitterdal; Doug and Elly Peterson of Madison;  Rodney Allebach of Menahga; Ross Eischens of Minneota; Merlyn and Sandy Hubin of Hitterdal; Marv and Marlyns Jensen of Kensington; Brian Rohrenbach of Rosemount; Linda Larson of Rosemount; Richard Moen of Clearbrook; Gene Paul of Delavan; Alan and Karen Perish of Browerville; and Lisa Syverson of Ulen.

Minnesota Farmers Union members heading to National Farmers Union Convention in Springfield, Massachusetts

ST. PAUL (January 20, 2011) – Trevor Jensen, Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) Steele County President from Owatonna, is serving on the National Farmers Union (NFU) Policy Committee. 

“It is a great honor to be chosen to serve on the NFU Policy Committee because Trevor is one of only eight people in the entire NFU organization who was chosen to be a part of this, and Trevor will do an exceptional job in this role” said Doug Peterson, MFU President. “The Policy Committee has the very important task of sorting through all resolutions passed at the many state conventions throughout the NFU organization and form a working document which will be debated and passed at the National Convention in San Antonio, Texas March 13-15.” 

The NFU Policy Committee has already met in the NFU office in Washington, D.C. to review and discuss the entire policy document. They also heard from several presenters, including Doug O’Brien, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development, and Ed Porter, Director of the New Technologies and Production Methods Division of the Office of Science and Technical Affairs at USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. 

ST. PAUL (November 29, 2010) – Dean Pederson of Gary; Dolores Windingstad of Dawson; Alan Teich of Pine City; and Brian Rohrenbach of Rosemount were elected to represent Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) at the National Convention in San Antonio, Texas, March 13-15.  They were elected by other MFU members from their area, at the MFU state convention.

 “These delegates know the Minnesota Farmers Union policy, and will be a great advocate for that policy at the national convention,” said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President.  “I congratulate all of them on their election and I look forward to working with them on behalf of family farmers and rural communities in Minnesota.”

Delegates to the National Convention will be advocating for the following priorities: the continuation of programs in the 2012 farm bill that are effective, especially those that help during difficult times; disaster assistance to farmers - money will be extremely tight for agriculture initiatives, so it is essential that the farm bill uses resources efficiently to protect farmers and ranchers from economic instability; and extensions of both the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and the Biodiesel Tax Credit.

(March 8, 2010) - Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) members will be attending the National Farmers Union Convention in Rapid City, South Dakota March 14-16.

"This is where Minnesota Farmers Union members bring the issues that are important here in Minnesota to the national level and try to make them part of National Farmers Union policy," said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President.

MFU members attending are: Eunice and Robert Biel of Harmony; Sam and Norma Holmgren of Atwater; George and Bessie Klose of Atwater; Larry and Gina Jacobson of Hitterdal; Dave and Donna Johnson of Fergus Falls; Melvin Kinnunen of Menahga; Tom Schulz of Sebeka; Jim Stone of Canby; Sylvester Sanow of Minneota; Jerome Graff of Sanborn; Ron Seitz of Sleepy Eye; George and Dorothy Bowman of Blackduck; Ed and Lynn Jostock of Rochester; Merlyn and Sandy Hubin of Westbrook; Richard Moen of Clearbrook; Marvin and Marlys Jensen of Kensington; Alan and Karen Perish of Browerville; Brian Rohrenbach and Linda Larson of Rosemount; Tim and Bridget Henning of Adrian; and Allen and Elaine Torpet of Fertile.  Doug Peterson, MFU President and Gary Wertish, MFU Vice President will also be in attendance.  If you would like to speak with either of them, or anyone else attending, please call Katie Fitzsimmons, MFU Communications Director, 612.616.5252.

Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) members will be attending the National Farmers Union Convention where a new National Farmers Union President will be elected.  There will also be policy discussions, and speakers.  The Convention will be held March 8 - 10 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, with a lobby day on Capitol Hill on the 11^th.

The schedule is as follows: