Lincoln, NE. Ten Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) members are headed to Washington, D.C. September 7-10 to participate in the 2025 National Farmers Union (NFU) Fall Fly-In. The NeFU group has meetings scheduled with the Nebraska Congressional Delegation as well as Representatives from other states and various regulatory agencies. The annual Fly-In usually brings 275-300 family farmers and ranchers to the halls of Congress.
NeFU President John Hansen of Lincoln will head up the Nebraska delegation.
“We are going on this Fly-In with a sense of urgency as we ask Congress to pass an updated and improved Farm Bill ahead of the September 30th deadline. The financial squeeze is on in ag country. Our producers need the rest of the income safety net tools that did not get funded as part of the budget reconciliation process, especially our younger and beginning farmers that the 2022 Census of Agriculture says makes up a fourth of our producers. Nebraska is depending on those younger next generation producers to be the future of agriculture. Congress needs to step up and finish the Farm Bill rather than kick the can down the road a fourth time.” Hansen said.
Attending this year are Farmers Union Midwest Agency (FUMA) General Manager Jeff Downing of Ashland, FUMA agent Tye Johnson of Holdrege and his wife Becky, NeFU District 6 Director Andrew Tonnies of North Bend; Bill Armbrust of Elkhorn, NeFU District 7 President Keith Dittrich of Tilden, Stephanie Finklea of Omaha, Scott Thomsen of Kennard, and NeFU District 2 President Tom Knopik of Fullerton. For five of the ten participants, this will be their first trip to our Washington, D.C.
The Fly-In participants will hear from NFU and USDA officials Monday morning at USDA’s Jefferson auditorium. Monday afternoon, they will move to the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building and hear from House and Senate majority and minority staff and leaders. Tuesday and Wednesday are when the participants meet with Congressional Representatives, and some key regulatory agency leaders.
President John Hansen said, “Our NeFU delegation this year is a good reflection of the diversity of our state’s agricultural production approaches. We have corn, soybean and wheat producers, urban agriculture, conventional and organic producers, specialty crop producers, direct marketers, and livestock producers. Regardless of what they grow and how they do it, they all know how badly our state needs Congress to pass an improved and updated Farm Bill. They will be sharing their stories with our elected officials.”
