National Farmers Union (United States)

National Farmers Union (United States)

The National Farmers Union (officially Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union of America) is a national federation of State Farmers Union organizations in the United States. It is the second largest general farm organization in the country, after Farm Bureau. The organization was founded in Point, Texas, in 1902 and is now headquartered in Washington, D.C. Today, the organization continues its original mission: to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life for family farmers and ranchers and their rural communities. It does this by promoting legislation and education beneficial to farmers, and by developing cooperative buying and selling methods and businesses. The current president is Roger Johnson, and the vice president is Claudia Svarstad.

Today, the National Farmers Union represents more than a quarter million family farms and ranches across the United States. There are organized chapters in 32 different states, and proposals are often started at the local level before moving up to the state and national levels. Once in the spring and once in the fall, leaders of the NFU convene in Washington, D.C., to talk with legislators about solutions to problems they are facing.