A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer might own the farmed land or might work as a laborer on land owned by others, but in most developed economies, a farmer is usually a farm owner, while employees of the farm are known as farm workers, or farmhands. However, in other older definitions a farmer was a person who promotes or improves the growth of plants, land or crops or raises animals by labor and attention.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), also known as the Agriculture Department, is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally.
Gratiot County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 41,761. The county seat is Ithaca, although its most populous city is Alma.
Corporate farming is the practice of large-scale agriculture on farms owned or greatly influenced by large companies. This includes corporate ownership of farms and selling of agricultural products, as well as the roles of these companies in influencing agricultural education, research, and public policy through funding initiatives and lobbying efforts.
The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and agriculture. The Grange, founded after the Civil War in 1867, is the oldest American agricultural advocacy group with a national scope. The Grange actively lobbied state legislatures and Congress for political goals, such as the Granger Laws to lower rates charged by railroads, and rural free mail delivery by the Post Office.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), also known as Farm Bureau Insurance and Farm Bureau Inc. but more commonly known simply as the Farm Bureau (FB), is a United States-based insurance company and lobbying group that represents the American agriculture industry. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Farm Bureau has affiliates in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Each affiliate is a (regional) Farm Bureau, and the parent organization is also often called simply the Farm Bureau.
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), also called brominated biphenyls or polybromobiphenyls, are a group of manufactured chemicals that consist of polyhalogenated derivatives of a biphenyl core. Their chlorine analogs are the PCBs. While once widely used commercially, PBBs are now controlled substances under the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, which limits their use in electrical and electronic products sold in the EU.
Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) is a voluntary organization of farm families and their allies dedicated to serving as the voice of agriculture by identifying problems, developing solutions and taking actions which will improve net farm income, achieve better economic opportunities and enhance the quality of life for all.
National Farmers Union is a national federation of state Farmers Union organizations in the United States. The organization was founded in 1902 in Point, Texas, 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 Rob Larew, and the vice president is Patty Edelburg. Former NFU Presidents have included Roger Johnson, Tom Buis, and David Frederickson.
The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) is an Australian non-profit membership–based organization that represents farmers and the agricultural sector in Australia. Historically, NFF was a key player in a number of industrial relations disputes, including Australia's infamous waterfront dispute; the shearing wide comb dispute; and the Mudginberri dispute.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is a general farm organization established in 1936 as the Ontario Chamber of Agriculture and headquartered in Guelph, Ontario. It was founded by the United Farmers of Ontario, the United Farmers’ Co-operative Company Ltd., and various growers and other agricultural organizations as a non-partisan lobbying and marketing organization for farmers. In 1940, it changed its name to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. In 1943, the United Farmers of Ontario dissolved and its remnants were absorbed by the OFA.
The Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) is a nonprofit U.S. organization controlled by farmers who join the IFB through one of the 96 county Farm Bureaus in Illinois. The organization's legal name is the Illinois Agricultural Association. The IFB was founded in 1916 by a group of farmers who met at the University of Illinois to discuss the need for agricultural education, better information for farmers, and more effective farming practices. Modernly, the IFB represents two out of three Illinois farmers.
The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation (GFB) is Georgia's largest voluntary agricultural organization with nearly 400,000 member families. It is an independent, non-governmental, membership organization. The membership is mainly composed of farm families in rural communities.
Bitter Harvest is a 1981 American drama television film directed by Roger Young, from a teleplay by Richard Friedenberg, based on the 1978 book of the same name by Frederic and Sandra Halbert. The film stars Ron Howard, Art Carney, Tarah Nutter, and Richard Dysart, and chronicles the Michigan PBB contamination incident.
Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation (ArFB) is a non-profit, grassroots organization dedicated to agricultural advocacy. ArFB represents the interests of farmers and rural communities throughout the state of Arkansas through policy development, lobbying and other programs.
Texas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization, represents the interests of agricultural producers and rural communities across Texas as the "Voice of Texas Agriculture." Texas Farm Bureau's grassroots structure begins in local communities across the state of Texas. The non-profit organization's direction and decision making are dictated by its members.
The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation (LFB) is a state chapter of the United States's largest general farm organization representing farmers, ranchers, and rural residents. The organization provides assistance toward the development and prosperity of Louisiana agriculture. It is a private, non-profit, non-governmental agency established in 1922 to bring a voice to Louisiana farmers and their families. It is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Michigan Farm Radio Network (MFRN) is a radio network that provides specialty programming geared toward farmers in Michigan. It is owned by Learfield Communications and is a sisters with the Michigan Radio Network.
Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) is Manitoba’s largest general farm policy organization, with over 4,000 members that include farmers and farm commodity groups. KAP is one of the province's most active lobby groups and is a member organization of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
