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 exemptions or exclusions in the bill which cover anyone who performs or engages or practices nutrition, nutrition counseling, nutrition assessment, or nutrition care. That means certified nutritionists, nutritionists, herbalist, naturopaths, chiropractors, retail employees of Vitamin Cottage, Vitamin Cottage Nutritional Health Coach, employees of Whole Foods, etc., can practice “nutrition” as they do now. We do not intend to infringe on anyone’s business or professional practice.

Please call the members of the House Ag Committee to ask them to vote for the bill. The bill will be heard in the Ag Committee on Monday, Feb 6, so make your call this week!!

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is supporting this bill, and as Chairman of the Board and a Registered Dietitian, I am asking you to call the members of the House Ag Committee now!

Jan Kochis, Chair
Board of Directors
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union

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 Energy Laboratory, outside of Denver. Colorado has the resources, the know-how, and even the workforce we need to meet our ever-growing demand for energy. Rural America is where the need for new jobs is most acute, and rural Colorado is no exception. Renewable energy development can put rural Americans to work.

But that won’t happen unless the Farm Bill continues to promote renewable energy development. Renewable energy depends upon developing energy resources on our rural lands, and the Farm Bill plays a major role in those efforts. What we call “the Farm Bill” is the primary federal support for our nation’s agricultural productivity, but the bulk of the bill funds food support programs for the disadvantaged, and it also provides programs to ensure national energy security. Today the farm bill is under threat of significant cuts, and renewable energy programs, a small but vital part, are particularly targeted.

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) could lose its funding. REAP provides grants and loan guarantees to farmers and rural communities for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Every state has rural areas rich in renewable resources, and REAP guarantees bring development projects within reach. REAP projects in every state are creating jobs in rural America, contributing to U.S. energy security, and promoting new markets for agriculture.

Two other vital programs are the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) and the Biorefinery Assistance Program. BCAP encourages farmers to grow dedicated energy crops, and the Biorefinery Assistance Program provides grants and loan guarantees for the construction of advanced biorefineries. Biomass energy has tremendous potential, especially in Colorado. Today, the main biomass feedstocks for power are paper mill residue, lumber mill scrap, and municipal waste. Agricultural residues such as corn stalks, leaves, and husks show great promise, as do crops like perennial grasses and algae. BCAP and the Biorefinery Assistance Program are vital to continued development of this technology.

With a robust energy title in the next farm bill, Congress can help farmers and others in rural America become more energy efficient and more profitable. Congress can ensure that we develop new markets for agricultural and forestry producers. With federal support, farmers and ranchers can continue to make a vital contribution to our food and energy needs, which are crucial to national security. These are all goals worth achieving even in tough economic times.

Farmers and ranchers understand the importance of a balanced budget. But it’s a false economy to cut programs that will lead to significant economic growth. Renewable energy is a rapidly growing industry. We should not handicap our country’s economic growth by cutting vital farm bill energy programs such as REAP, BCAP and Biorefinery Assistance.

As Congress searches for budget savings, please take a moment to tell your representatives that you support the energy title in the Farm Bill.

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, lessons, or just learn a little more about being a leader. Not the leader of a nation or a state but just a leader in your community or organization. That is what the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Fellows program offers. You are given the opportunity to brush up on your communication skills, learn how to conduct successful meetings, and to be confident when you are in a leadership position.

I know, because the Fellows program gave me the confidence to handle the leadership positions that I have held since then. They were community and state positions I felt prepared to fill. After I finished the program, I was elected President of the Parent Teacher Organization at my children’s school. Not knowing a lot of the people involved, I was very nervous at the first meeting where I presided, but with the training that I had received, the meeting was successful and ran very smoothly.

After this experience, I ran successfully for the board of directors of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, where I have now served as the District II representative for five years. A few years ago, I was asked to serve on the Colorado State Agriculture Commission Board, and recently I have been nominated for a second term on that board. I have also been chosen for the Colorado Food Policy Council.

When I joined the Fellows program, I wanted to make a difference, and the skills that I learned have let me use my passion for serving my community effectively.

So if you are asked to be a part of the Fellows program, grab the opportunity. If you know someone who could take the tools of leadership and build something good, recommend them to the state office. You will be helping your organization and the values we share.

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 in funding are particularly hard to deal with in Colorado’s rural school districts, many of which are losing enrollment and thus losing additional funding. Many rural school districts have already gone to the four-day week, made other elective program cuts, and used up their precious reserves to balance their budget. Rural school districts, because of their lack of economies of scale due to large geographical service areas, have higher per student transportation costs and have less flexibility in reducing their budgets. Some rural teachers, administrators and school board members are wondering if they can keep their doors open and what is next.

In recent months, various proposals and ideas have surfaced to fix the problem that has forced Colorado to cut an incredible $888 million from K-12 schools in the last four years and $5.8 billion from Colorado’s general fund budget.

Proposed fixes range from an effort by Senator Rollie Heath to incrementally increase state income and sales tax to 1999 levels to create new funds for K-12 and higher education to another by the Fiscal Policy Institute to implement a graduated income tax. Others believe that the proper approach is to continue to reduce the cost, size and complexity of government by establishing and funding only core functions and priorities.

Many people believe that Colorado is in this budget mess now due to the constitutional formulas that do not allow representative government to work. The combination of Gallagher, TABOR and Amendment 23 has created an untenable situation and many believe that Colorado voters must fix these mechanisms going forward and make it more difficult to amend the Colorado Constitution. It appears that the Colorado state legislature will soon pass Senate Concurrent Resolution 001, a referred measure to be voted on by the people of Colorado that would, if passed, make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. The measure requires that a certain percentage of signatures for constitutional ballot measures be gathered statewide, and that the threshold for future constitutional changes will be 60 percent rather than a simple majority.

Governor Hickenlooper added to the concerns of rural residents when he recently stated that Colorado should move toward consolidating school districts to end up with no more than 60 districts. Currently, there are 178 school districts. There are several reputable studies that conclude that there are not any substantial savings by consolidating rural districts. The large number of students and costs for K-12 education are along the front range of Colorado where the population centers are located. Many believe that school districts (especially rural districts) need to share services, i.e., superintendents, CFOs, business managers, transportation directors, technology systems, distance learning, etc., rather than consolidating districts. This approach would allow local rural communities to keep their school buildings open and thus save and protect jobs in the community and at the same time be more efficient.

All of us who care about local, county, and state services –  K-12 education, higher education, roads, social services, law enforcement, corrections –.need to get engaged in these discussions and help determine the future of our great state of Colorado. We must stand up for rural Colorado.

The quality of the education that a student receives must not be determined by their Colorado zip code.

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 like gambling in Las Vegas. It more like swimming in a lake you have never been at before. Everyone tells you what they think is waiting for you underneath the muddy water but you really never know until you jump in.

A quick and I think an accurate assessment is that our lives are going to be affected by government budgets. Education, health care, environment, and the rural economy as a whole will see some more challenges this year. Most states are going to have some huge decisions to make as far as spending and taxation are concerned.

The federal budget also faces huge challenges. It’s about priorities. It’s about what’s more important, people or corporate profits. One can listen to a hundred different economists and get a hundred different opinions. Here at Rocky the priorities are set in our policy, which the members create every year at our state and national conventions.

Rocky’s number one priority is achieving profitability for family farmers and ranchers. That is the lithmus test for all of the decisions made around here. It doesn’t matter what issue we are working on, it’s all about profit for our family farm and ranch members.

The state and federal budgets for the most part are in trouble and we have some fears about the outcomes of the decisions that will have to be made. One of our fears is that the renewable energy agenda that really began in earnest just a few years ago may be put on the back burner. You have all let us know your feelings on the movement and what a huge mistake it would be not to pursue renewable energies full speed ahead.

Education, specifically rural education, is going to be a handful of troubles. Colorado tax laws make it very difficult to fund education properly. Rural schools are in a very difficult situation and we need to watch the education issues very carefully. Rocky has fought long and very hard to make sure the students at Lone Star have the same educational opportunities as the students in Cherry Creek. That’s one battle I know we have won over the years. I have nephews and nieces who have graduated from Lone Star and other rural schools in eastern Colorado and they have done just fine in this world. But if the money situation continues to be tight I expect we’ll have to fight the “education fairness” battle again.

We are fortunate to have Dr. Dale McCall on our Rocky board of directors and Ben Rainbolt as our executive director. Both men are recognized as top notch experts in rural education, so I feel pretty comfortable that we will handle the education challenges properly.

Health care is another handful. Rocky has worked hard to promote technologies such as telemedicine, student grants for medical students to practice in rural areas after graduation, and legislation that increases the authority of nurse practitioners. I know we still have a ways to go on rural health care, but we are worried that the government budget adjustments will create some big obstacles for rural health care, and they may actually throw us for a loss in that battle.

I have mentioned a few of our fears at Rocky but I don’t want to frighten all of you. Rural America also has some positives going for it right now. Most of us have enjoyed some high production years lately in both the crop and livestock industries. Commodity prices continue to rise, and there is a strong feeling this will continue at least in the short term. The general economy as a whole seems to be working its way out of its troubles since the low in 2008. It appears some of our expenses are peaking out or at least leveling to the point where we can deal with them at the farm budget level.

It appears that we may be seeing the beginnings of some competition that could reduce the healthcare expenses that have decimated our families for more than a generation. Despite corporate America doing its best to trash what they call “Obamacare,” the threat of a public option may be doing some good. Hospital board members are making statements like “We need to do more for less.” People tell me Kaiser Permanente has a program out now that competes with Medicare for the senior healthcare dollar, and pharmaceutical people tell me the “fatted calf is leaving the country.” These comments give me hope that if we keep pushing then someday we will have affordable, high quality health care for all Americans.
The other positive you can count on in 2011 is the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. We have staff members in both the insurance and the farm organization who are dedicated to serving our members. We are all family at Rocky, and when challenges arise we will prevail. The key is going to be sticking together to work for a common cause.

I know we are going to have our hands full this next year. But to tell you the truth, I can’t wait for 2011. Let’s get going!

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 consider the bill and what it means for agriculture.

Condemning the action by Congress ignores a key fact. The EPA is poised, by order of the Supreme Court, to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). If a majority in Congress had let the bill disappear into “the shredder,” then farmers could thank its opponents for inviting the EPA to regulate agricultural emissions with no input from agriculture. Thanks to the compromise amendment, we have an opportunity to manage any increased costs to farmers and ranchers. As amended, the bill allows agriculture to have a say in addressing a problem that affects us all.

Farmers Union opposed the bill that came out of Rep. Waxman’s committee because, like so much federal legislation, it failed to take into account the interests and needs of the national community of farmers and ranchers. Through the efforts of Rep. Collin Peterson, Farmers Union, and the National Association of Wheat Growers, the bill was amended to remedy that problem, and we support it because it is the right thing to do. Farmers Union hasn’t sold anyone out, not to the government, not to the boardrooms of corporate agriculture, not to the power companies or partisan political agendas.

A partisan attack group, the Heritage Foundation, tried to alarm consumers and producers with wild estimates of the effect on energy costs. Compelling evidence from a non-partisan entity, the Congressional Budget Office, projects that the costs of electricity, gas and oil will work out to be about $175 per family per year.

What about the cost of sticking our heads in the sand and waiting for problems to go away? That approach doesn’t usually work. Farmers and ranchers, who live agriculture and resource stewardship, understand that there is more to “costs” than dollars on an accounting ledger. Inaction will have serious consequences for the farm, the nation, and the world. If we don’t act, circumstances and consumers will force us to. The Clean Energy bill lets agriculture help solve those problems, rather than bear the brunt for others.

Agriculture has a role to play in addressing those problems. Farmers Union saw to it that this role was reflected in the new bill. Polluting industries will be coming to American farmers for carbon credits to offset their impact on our air and water, using that cap and trade model that got acid rain under control a generation ago. Cap and trade is not nebulous bogeyman; it’s a policy that was endorsed by both Presidential contenders in the 2008 race. Farmers Union has been a leader in creating a carbon credit program that has generated more than $8 million in revenue for farmers and ranchers without government support. With the new cap and trade rules, carbon may well become a major cash crop.

The Clean Energy bill mandates a shift to renewable energy that offers financial benefits to farmers and ranchers. Wind farms will generate electricity for citizens and industry while generating revenue for landowners harvesting the wind. All the forms of renewable energy have the potential to reduce agriculture’s dependence on foreign oil and create new crops for our farmers and ranchers.

Farmers Union recognizes the enormous costs of a petroleum-based agriculture. The average food is shipped 1,500 miles to the consumer, and why is the greatest agriculture nation in the world importing our own food. The emphasis on energy costs will create new markets for local foods produced by small farmers and ranchers. Farmers Union built its history on support for local produce, sustainable farming, and cooperative economies that marry producers to consumer markets.

Addressing America’s energy needs has been a struggle, and we applaud the members of the Colorado delegation in the House who voted for the Clean Energy bill. We are proud of them, and proud of our role in shaping the bill to include agriculture. By being at the bargaining table rather than sulking in the hall, we helped shape a policy that will impact all our lives. Farmers Union improved the energy bill and made our nation’s farmers an active part of our energy future. Our engagement in the process that amended the bill reflects our commitment to protecting the interests of the small minority of our population who grow America’s food. The farmer must make a living wage, or America will find itself dependent on foreign food just as it is on foreign oil. The Clean Energy bill presents us with a chance to keep our food secure.

Kent Peppler, President
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union

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 Federation, impacts all states.

President Peppler’s statement:

A rancher is not asking for Critical Feed Use waivers so he can exploit hay and grain prices; he’s got cattle to feed. This restraining order is very likely to bankrupt some ranchers. Family agriculture is not the enemy of environmentalists or conservation. The enemy of conservation is continuing drought conditions. Drought reduces a rancher’s access to native pastures for grazing and to alternative feed.

Farmers and ranchers are land stewards concerned with the long term benefit of their livestock and their land, including wildlife habitat. The CRP program is crafted to allow stewardship of the land without abusing the intent of the program. The Critical Feed Use waiver has been a part of CRP since 1985. If a rancher’s CRP land is approved for grazing through a waiver, the rancher invests in making water available and putting up fencing to protect lands not affected by the waiver. Grazing and haying allowed via the Critical Feed Use plan provides other benefits to the environment by reducing the need for chemicals to control disease, weeds, and destructive pests.

The situation for beef production is dire. Drought conditions are requiring ranchers to liquidate herds at rates and levels that jeopardize their future as independent ranchers. Cutting them off from feed on their own lands is short-sighted. They are facing exactly the problem that Critical Feed Use waivers are meant to deal with. Expecting the government to respond to an emergency by doing an environmental impact study is not sensible.

Eastern Colorado is facing economic disaster caused by drought, energy costs, feed costs and reduced yields. We are grateful that some of the worst-hit counties are exempt from this restraining order under disaster relief edicts sought by Governor Ritter and approved by USDA. But there are ranchers in other areas being impacted by the drought that need assistance now. Critical Feed Use waivers offer that assistance.

It’s a shame when family farmers and ranchers get caught in the crossfire between conservationists and agri-business. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is concerned that the wildlife federations are attacking Critical Feed Use waivers to oppose efforts by some large agri-business corporations to seek changes in CRP rules for exploitive reasons. These businesses want the USDA to change the rules so producers can get out of CRP contracts without penalty. This would allow them to produce more commodities, resulting in lower market prices for producers and increased profit margins for agri-business. We ask the conservationists to oppose that rule change itself, without threatening the livelihoods of family ranchers and farmers who are operating their CRP lands within the existing rules and regulations.

On behalf of the 23,000 members of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming, I am writing to express our gratitude for your amendment to Rep. Lamborn’s PIONEERS  bill.  We agree with your concerns over the quantity and quality of water that will be used for commercial development of oil shale, a resource that has shown promise for close to a century, and never delivered on those promises.

Our members already face a water shortage caused by heavy demands on the river and changes in climate.  We simply cannot gamble away our water on a speculative resource like oil shale. If we do, we  risk losing a farm and ranch economy that is vital to grow the food our nation depends upon.  In Colorado and across the West, agriculture is crucial to pulling our state and region out of recession.

You are absolutely correct in requesting that the U.S. Geological Survey study the impacts of oil shale on our water before rushing to commercial development.  The Department of Interior should require developers to use existing leases to discover these impacts before considering the commercial leasing of our public lands for oil shale production.

Thank you for your leadership on this issue.

My first experience with agricultural market concentration was in the 1980s. Like many other small family farmers, we fed cattle. My dad began his farming career in the late 1930s by partnering with my grandfather and their landlord on a cattle feeding venture. I believe he told me they paid 8 cents a pound for their first loads of cattle.

This arrangement continued until 1944. Then my dad and my grandfather purchased a farm, and they fed cattle on their own until my grandfather retired from feeding in the late 1950s. Dad fed on his own until the late 1970s, when he brought me into the business. Of course Dad had ups and downs, but overall the cattle business was our bread and butter and it worked.

Dad had an excellent reputation for finishing high quality cattle and was blessed with top-notch commission people who bought and sold his cattle. Packers were numerous, and he sold cattle to independent packers such as Litvack Packing, Pepper Packing, Flavorland Packing (to name just a few). Life was good and there was a bright future in the cattle feeding industry for young people such as myself – and then came the 1980s.

The last load of fat cattle we sold was in 1986. We sold the cattle to IBP because they were the last packer buying big steers. Believe me, IBP couldn’t have cared less about buying our cattle. What happened to us happened to thousands of small feeders all over the U.S. and the attrition continues today. We were feeding up to 500 cattle a year. A friend who fed a couple thousand a year told us we needed to feed bigger and market more often. A few years later, he was out of the business.
A few years after that, our biggest cattle-feeding neighbor, feeding 20,000 a year, quit, for the same reason the rest of us did. He was one of the last of the true cattle feeders in Colorado. It was amazing to me; in ten short years, the cattle feeding industry that had kept our local economy strong and vibrant was gone! But it wasn’t a total surprise. I still remember hearing Ken Monfort speaking on how to make it in the cattle business in 1983, and he said if you aren’t running 50,000 head in 2000, you will be gone.

The reason for this decimation of private, farmer-owned cattle feeding is easy to track. This attrition began in the 1980s. The government decided it was not in the best interests of the American people to enforce the rules set forth by the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the administration began to ignore the anti-trust laws that kept our playing field reasonably level. Under the new unregulated economy big corporations were thriving, and they in turn vertically integrated. It effectively ran everyone else out of the business. And worst of all, we see the industry continue to consolidate today.

Market concentration is the issue that led me to be active in Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Farmers Union was the only ag organization that had the foresight to see what a danger market concentration was to our way of life. We have led the fight against concentration for a hundred years, all the way back to Teddy Roosevelt. Most farm organizations have viewed concentration as just part of a free, fair and open market system. You know, the old adage of only the best and the most efficient should survive.
The simple truth is, in a true free competitive market system, the guy with the most money wins. If you and I are competing against each other in a business, no matter how dedicated I am, or how hard I work, or how smart I think I am, if you have enough money to wage a price war on me, you are going to win. After I am gone, you can set your price where you want and get back your losses. You can make massive profits with no competition… until someone comes along with more money than you and decides to run you out of business. And who pays for this “free market”? Consumers, eventually.

The American people have been sold a bill of goods on what a fair market really is. As citizens of this country we need to be vigilant and constantly monitor what’s happening in our market places. The American people have to take the leadership role and exercise their vote. That’s the way to take our country back from the huge multi-national corporations that have so much power today. We need to tell big business that it’s not a “free market” if they can buy it. We need a level playing field in the marketplace.

If we continue to ignore market concentration and consolidation, our nation will become a country of corporate slaves. Main street businesses will cease to exist, and the entrepreneurial spirit that made America great will be lost. We will end up living Tennessee Ernie Ford’s old song: “Saint Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go, I owe my soul to the company store!”

That’s why Rocky Mountain Farmers Union will be at the table when the USDA and the Department of Justice are ready to talk about market concentration. We will always be there for the independent producer.

We’re ready to fight that fight again, because it’s a good fight and we are going to win it.

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has always tried to formulate successful strategies that will enhance our ability to promote our grassroots policy not only in Washington, D.C., but also in our membership states of New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado.

I am very proud to say that our organization has had a great deal of success in the last couple of years thanks to the hard work of our staff, members, and board of directors. In a nutshell, here is how we manage your political agenda at RMFU.

First of all, we want to be an issues-oriented lobby, not a sounding board for a political party. Our policy is not about Republicans or Democrats, it’s about rural America.
Our organization strives to have good working relationships with all politicians, cabinet members, and other organizations. It makes me feel like we are truly representing the rural Rocky Mountain area when on some issues we are working with mostly conservatives and on other issues we are working with the progressives.

Second, RMFU wants to be known for our honesty and our integrity. This is huge to me. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union has a very clear policy and we strive to articulate this policy in as transparent medium as possible. We are upfront with our positions and communicate well with all stakeholders. Our worst nightmare is to have a stakeholder on a particular issue be surprised or feel misled by what they have read or heard, compared to what we have told them face-to-face.

In essence, stakeholders may disagree with us but they should know where we stand, and they need to feel that when we tell them something, they can take that information to the bank!

Third, we need to be at the table. Our goal is to always be at the negotiating table. We may disagree with others, but we won’t be disagreeable. We believe that if we act professionally and stay issues-oriented, then we avoid the personal attacks that can lead to losing our chair at the table or can discourage someone else from being at the table.
The solutions to most issues are negotiated. Rarely does one individual or group have all of the answers. If we are not at the table, the chances of our success drop to zero. Staying at the negotiating table is very difficult for all of us because we are all very passionate about what we believe. Rural issues are not just bargaining chips in some game; they are the life blood of our communities, so it is important that we maintain our discipline and professionalism to keep our seat at the negotiating table.

Last but not least, RMFU is constantly building coalitions. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union needs to be a “uniter” organization, not a “divider” organization. We cannot help our rural areas without a lot of help from others. We are constantly networking, discussing, and researching for partners to help us improve family farming.

Our door is always open andwe welcome everyone to come in and get to know us.
We value all of our relationships, particularly with other farm organizations. Agriculture is a relatively small spot in the big picture, but we represent the people who feed the nation and we deserve to be heard. Our fellow farm organizations are invaluable to us and we guard those relationships very closely. We don’t drive around the country, trash-talking other farm organizations or their members. We don’t have the time or the inclination to do so. There is just too much work that needs to be done for family farmers. When Rocky does a good job of developing coalitions, everyone benefits. Let’s not forget that everyone has to eat.

There you have it in a nutshell, how Rocky Mountain Farmers Union promotes our policy. It’s not rocket science, and I didn’t give away any family secrets, it’s just how we go about doing your business.

I hope you all have a great spring!