President’s Message
While we all continue to live in a world of uncertainty and overabundance of bad news, I would like to switch gears and talk about some of the positive things that enhance the goals of National Farmers Organization.
Through some difficult times, our staff has endured and continues to sign up production. Our Dairy Division is presently handling more milk than at any time in the last 20 years. This has been accomplished in spite of all of the sellouts within the dairy industry. Our Northeast Dairy Region continues to be the shining star for growth.
I am also pleased to announce our new venture with Organic Valley in Washington and Oregon. Those two states are the foundation for our new Northwest Dairy Region and developments have been progressing very well as we see solid growth. You can read details on page three.
National Farmers Livestock Division and Nexus Marketing successfully navigated the early months of the pandemic and are now growing once more. Our newest marketing center in Farley, Iowa, has already outgrown its facility and is exploring expansion options to handle even more cattle producers.
Your grain staff is working hard and has many success stories to share. I am also pleased to announce that Steve Armour is our latest addition and will be marketing conventional grain for our members in our North Region. See the article on Armour on page two.
You can also read about one of our grain producers in Corning, Kansas, on pages four and five. The Rempe family works with Theresa Seiler, who advises them how to navigate the choppy waters of current grain markets. Our organic grain marketing program, NForganics, has also seen tremendous growth this past year.
A big thank you to our procurement teams and leaders across the country. Because of the pandemic, many of our staff members continue to work from home, and they are doing a great job fielding member calls and getting the important business done on behalf of our customers. In spite of all of the challenges that everyone has faced these past several months, it appears 2020 will be one of our best years for adding production.
There has been much said in recent months about our nation’s essential workers. They are all equally important and need our full support. With that said, there is another group of essential workers that never receive enough credit, and that is our nation’s farmers and ranchers, the producers of our food and fiber, and where it all begins.
The pandemic has had a grave effect on market access for many producers, not to mention the effect on farm-gate prices. They continue to farm on through some very difficult situations and not only need a huge thank you, but also more importantly, a fair price for what they produce.
We are all waiting for the storm clouds to lift. Yes, we can all use some sunshine and a lot of good news. Keep the faith and together we can make a difference. Stay safe and healthy.
