The National Farmers Union (NFU), officially the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union of America, is an agricultural organization comprised of farmers with dozens of chapters in the United States. Founded in 1902, the group lobbies for increased farm subsidies and is active in lobbying on the Farm Bill. The group has historically been comprised of small, family-owned farms and opposes corporate mergers and alleged monopolistic practices within the agricultural sector, while supporting restrictions on foreign-sourced agricultural products and mandated country-of-origin labeling.  NFU has formally organized divisions in 33 states and also operates an educational arm, the NFU Foundation. ^{1 2 3}

The contributions of its political arm, the National Farmers Union PAC, tend to lean Democratic. ⁴

Background and History

The National Farmers Union was founded in 1902 by ten family farmers in Point, Texas, under the name Farmers’ Educational and Cooperative Union of America, which remains the group’s legal name. In its early years, the organization championed Progressive Era reforms benefiting rural communities including pushing for fair market access for farmers through cooperative marketing, advocating for the direct election of U.S. Senators, and supporting women’s suffrage. The group also supported the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, which established twelve Federal Land Banks to provide credit to farmers. ¹

From the 1940s through the 1970s, the group helped establish the Farmers Union Central Exchange, which would later become Cenex Harvest States (CHS, Inc.); supported the institution of school-provided lunches; helped found senior employment agency Green Thumb (now known as Experience Works); and supported the implementation of capital gains tax on foreign owners of U.S. farmland. ¹

From the 1980s through the early 2000s, the group lobbied to have a portion of the military budget shifted to humanitarian food aid using commodity surpluses from the U.S., lobbied for increased regulation of organics, and lobbied for mandatory country-of-origin labeling for certain food products. ¹

Due to the group’s left-wing stances, it was sometimes accused of being communist-linked during the 1950s. The group sued a North Dakota U.S. Senate candidate and radio station for defamation in 1956 for claiming that other candidates and the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union of America were conspiring to establish “a Communist Farmers Union Soviet.” The case ultimately was heard in the U.S. Supreme Court in Farmers Educational & Cooperative Union of America v. WDAY, Inc. in which the court ruled that the radio station was prohibited from censoring the candidate’s speech under the Federal Communications Act and was not liable for the candidate’s speech. ⁵

Advocacy and Issue Stances

The National Farmers Union consistently advocates farm subsidy programs, price supports, and supply management policies designed to stabilize farmers’ income, including the Farm Credit System and federal crop insurance. The group is particularly active in lobbying on the Farm Bill, omnibus legislation passed every five to seven years that is the chief agriculture and food policy instrument in the U.S. Congress. The group hosted a 2025 day at the U.S. Capitol to push for a comprehensive Farm Bill reauthorization, calling for a “comprehensive five-year farm bill that strengthens the farm safety net, builds upon voluntary conservation programs, fosters fairness and opportunity in the marketplace, delivers fast and reliable risk management programs and garners broad support from both farmers and consumers.” ⁶

The group also opposes corporate mergers in the agriculture sector and supports Democratic-introduced legislation to ban “large agribusiness and grocery mergers.” The group also supports a variety of legislation, including increasing ethanol subsidies, right to repair, and pricing transparency. ⁷

Political Activity

In 2008, the union’s president endorsed then Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for President, citing his support for the 2008 Farm Bill and the opposition of his opponent, then-U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to the legislation. ⁸

The group operates a political action committee, the National Farmers Union PAC (NFU PAC), which contributes heavily to Democratic candidates. In the 2022 election cycle, NFU PAC contributed about 82 percent of its federal campaign donations to Democratic candidates and roughly 18 percent to Republicans. The PAC contributed 88 percent of its contributions to Democrats in 2024. ⁴

1. “About.” National Farmers Union. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://nfu.org/about/
2. “NFU Condemns Bayer/Monsanto Deal, Asks for Critical Review of Consolidation in Ag.” National Farmers Union (via Internet Archive). September 14, 2016. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20231003232640/https://nfu.org/2016/09/14/nfu-condemns-bayermonsanto-deal-asks-for-critical-review-of-consolidation-in-ag/
3. “National Farmers Union Concludes Week of Action Calling for a Strong Farm Bill.” KFGO. May 9, 2025. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://kfgo.com/2025/05/09/national-farmers-union-concludes-week-of-action-calling-for-a-strong-farm-bill/
4. “National Farmers Union PAC Profile.” OpenSecrets. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/national-farmers-union/C00151019/summary/2024
5. “Farmers Educational & Cooperative Union of America v. WDAY, Inc.” Oyez. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1958/248
6. “Cooperation.” National Farmers Union. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://nfu.org/cooperation/
7. “Spring 2024 Legislative Fly-In.” National Farmers Union. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://nfu.org/spring2024/
8. “Obama Remarks in Eau Claire, WI.” P2008.org. September 18, 2008. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://p2008.org/obama/obama091808prag.html