NeFU Brings Seven Participants to the National Farmers Union Fly-In
Lincoln, NE. Seven Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) members were among the 300 Farmers Union members from around the nation who participated in the 2024 National Farmers Union (NFU) Fall Fly-In this past week in Washington, D.C. The NeFU group had individual meetings with the Nebraska Congressional Delegation as well as Representatives from West Virginia.
In addition to meeting with Congressional Representatives, the delegation heard from prominent government officials, including Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division Jonathan Kanter and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan who all participated in briefings that included a questions and answers section with Farmers Union members.
NeFU Vice President Vern Jantzen of Plymouth headed up the Fly-In this year. In addition to Jantzen, Farmers Union Midwest Agency (FUMA) General Manager Jeff Downing of Elkhorn; FUMA agent and Lancaster County Farmers Union President Mark Kavan of Lincoln; FUMA agent Lillian
Fritch of Beatrice; Lois Beethe of Elk Creek; NeFU District 7 Board of Director Art Tanderup of Neligh and Jonathan Leo of Omaha attended.
Monday morning USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spent over an hour briefing and answering questions with all the participants in the Monday morning briefing at USDA’s Jefferson Auditorium. His presentation included his updated White Board presentation.
In addition, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, USDA Farm Service Agency AdministratorZach Ducheneaux, and USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie also made presentations and answered questions.
Vice President Vern Jantzen, a veteran of many NFU Fly-Ins said, “While the meetings with our Congressional Delegation went very well, and the briefings with various Department officials were very productive, our number one priority for this Fly-In was to move the passing of a new and improved Farm Bill to the finish line. Farmers and ranchers need a permanent Farm Bill in place before September 30th. We did not see the urgency that we think is needed to get the Majority and Minority leaders of the House and Senate Ag Committees to the table to negotiate a fully funded Farm Bill that can pass both Houses of Congress. That lack of urgency means Congress is failing to respond to the growing financial squeeze farmers and ranchers are facing, especially in the wheat, oilseeds, and grains areas.
Jantzen thanked the NFU Fly-In participants from Nebraska and around the country for taking time away from their operations to attend. “There is no better or more effective voice than the 300 honest and genuine voices of family farmers and ranchers from around the nation who are directly impacted by the many issues we discussed with our public officials. Good for us for standing up for our interests.”
–Nebraska Farmers Union
