The Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) will be hosting its annual Farm & Food Lobby Day tomorrow (Wednesday) Feb. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the State Capital in Des Moines. The grassroots event attracts family farm advocates from across the state to meet with their legislators and promote policy changes that will strengthen Iowa’s independent family farms. The IFU priorities identified for the 2016 legislative session include: supporting farmer-led efforts to promote and expand local and regional food systems through creation of financial assistance, processing and marketing programs; improving protections and resources for farmers dealing with negligent pesticide drift by providing a quicker turnaround for lab testing, increasing fines for label violations and increasing liability coverage requirements for commercial applicators; promoting water quality; and supporting local, independent ownership of livestock farms by removing tax and zoning preferences. Contact information can be found below.
IFU Communications Coordinator, Ash Bruxvoort 515-577-9056 ashbrux@gmail.com
IFU President, Jana Linderman 319-651-2250 jlinerman@iowafarmersunion.org
