The purpose of HB 1060 (Concerning Regulating Dietitians) is only to license dietitians in Colorado. We are not trying to regulate any other group who gives out nutrition information or does nutrition counseling. Several groups do not understand the intention of the bill and have started a campaign to oppose it. There are actually nine [...]

Colorado is blessed with natural resources vital to renewable energy development. Whether it is bright sunlight, strong and consistent winds, or abundant supplies of biomass from agriculture and forestry, Colorado can reap the benefits of the new energy economy. Our abundant natural resources are supported by thriving research and development network, including the National Renewable [...]

If you’ve been in Rocky Mountain Farmers for a while, you have probably heard some mention of the Fellows program. However, you may be thinking, just what is it? As a Fellow of 2005, I’d like to answer that question. There are times in your life when you are given the opportunity to take classes, [...]

The Hickenlooper administration caught everyone’s attention with a proposed 2011-2012 Colorado budget that slashes public education to the tune of $332 million or nearly $500 per pupil. This proposed reduction, along with the approximately 6.38 percent reductions to school districts in the current year, totals nearly 14 percent in the last two years. These reductions [...]

2011: Here we go again. It’s time to get out the crystal ball and determine what issues will rise to the top and challenge all of us. What will be the issues that affect our members the most? Where do we need to be on these issues to benefit our members the most? This isn’t [...]

An opinion piece appeared last week in more than one Denver newspaper that attacked Farmers Union for “selling out” agriculture by supporting the amended Clean Energy bill. The piece presents the author’s views and statistics as facts. They are just opinions, not facts, and there are some other facts that should be mentioned as we [...]

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union President Kent Peppler, a Mead, Colo., farmer, issued a statement today on the temporary restraining order that prevents the USDA from approving Conservation Reserve Program contract amendments under the Critical Feed Use plan. The order, issued by a Washington State Federal District Court judge at the request of the National Wildlife [...]

Market concentration is a term we use a lot at Farmers Union. “Market concentration” is part of the Farmers Union two-word culture, along with terms such as “safety net,” “risk management” and “renewable energy.” To me, the definition of “market concentration” is simple: Too few have too much power, and they exercise that power to [...]

I am glad to announce that membership in Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has had a significant increase in the past few months. Many of you new members are reading the Union Farmer for the first time and probably would like to know our philosophy, or how we go about taking care of our members’ business [...]

Health insurance. Those two words didn’t mean much to me in the past, but suddenly they have become two of the most important words in my vocabulary. When I worked at Northeastern Junior College, I had the benefit of being covered by a comprehensive health care plan along with other State of Colorado employees. For [...]

Last year, with the election of a new President and all of the related activities at convention, I had little chance to visit with you, our members, about my first year as Vice President. If I had offered some words to describe my first year, they might have included “learning,” “excited,” and “sometimes overwhelmed.” I [...]

I think fall is my favorite time of year. This fall is special because we are harvesting an extra good crop. It has been quite a long time since we have seen such a harvest in our area, so this year’s crop makes us even more thankful than we normally would be. While we are [...]

By RMFU President Kent Peppler I think fall is my favorite time of year. This fall is special because we are harvesting an extra good crop. It has been quite a long time since we have seen such a harvest in our area, so this year’s crop makes us even more thankful than we normally [...]

By RMFU Vice President Todd Hagenbuch Last year, with the election of a new President and all of the related activities at convention, I had little chance to visit with you, our members, about my first year as Vice President. If I had offered some words to describe my first year, they might have included [...]

Yea, it’s fun to win, and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has been winning a lot lately. Being the competitive person that I am, winning is making my job as president a whole lot of fun. Let’s take a look at the most recent wins. Disaster aid will be here in January and it’s about time! [...]

Like most self-employed business owners, people involved in production agriculture face a number of threats to their business’s survival. What if I get ill and cannot continue to work? What if a natural disaster ruins my land so that I cannot continue production? How do I pass along my farm or ranch to the next [...]

By Todd Hagenbuch Like most self-employed business owners, people involved in production agriculture face a number of threats to their business’s survival. What if I get ill and cannot continue to work? What if a natural disaster ruins my land so that I cannot continue production? How do I pass along my farm or ranch [...]

By Kent Peppler “Winning is not one of the things, it’s the only thing.” — Vince Lombardi “Just win baby.” — Al Davis “Second place is for losers.” — Jeff Schuman “Someone might best me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.” — Steve Prefontaine Yea, it’s fun to win, and [...]

The Agriculture Committees of the United States House of Representatives and Senate have begun drafting, debating and developing farm policies for the next five years. We all have a huge stake in the process. The legislation will have a tremendous impact on the future of family farm and ranch agriculture and the production of local [...]

By Todd Hagenbuch, Vice President We citizens of the United States have the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. We also spend less of our income on food than anyone else in the world. As discussion of the 2007 Farm Bill moves forward, I hear grumblings about ‘farm subsidies.’ Subsidies are “Financial assistance [...]