Members Vote In Favor of Reorganizing National Farmers Board of Directors
By Bruce Shultz
It’s been a privilege to serve as vice-president of National Farmers Organization. Wendy and I are second generation NFO members. Her parents joined in 1970. We moved to the ranch in 1990. When we bought our first 20 cows, we became members and I began promoting NFO. Two years later, I became the cattle blocker for our area and held multiple officer duties within Montana. I became a National Director in 2017 prior to being elected vice president in 2020.
COVID-19 hit soon after I was elected vice president. With travel restrictions, how I wondered how I could help the organization. Recognizing a need for free exposure, I worked diligently to put NFO’s name in front of producers by writing monthly articles regarding all NFO commodities. Over 100 newspapers around the country print my articles. Since travel normalized, I have traveled to many states listening to members and seeing how we can expand. I have been collaborating with OFARM, visiting with them in Kansas and South Dakota to discuss how we can enhance our relationship.
I am running for president, with Joe Neaton as vice-president of NFO in 2024. I believe that National Farmers has been slowly moving away from its founding ideals. We are losing our identity as a membership organization. We bargain on behalf of producers, helping their bottom line. NFO requires dairy and grain producers to become members or be part of a Co-op in which we handle their production, however we don’t require this with livestock.
Currently, only 15 percent of the production moved through our livestock department is member owned. The decline of livestock membership, and not requiring membership to move production through NFO, began within the last 24 years. We need a change at the top to make membership a priority again.
We need to explain to non-member producers why joining NFO is in their best interest. This can be done while signing up cattle or during Beef Quality Assurance seminars. My question is why has NFO not made this a priority? NFO leaders should be having discussions about the importance of membership. In 2008 we had 4,472 producers shipping livestock and 1,108 were members. In 2022 we had 4,617 producers shipping livestock and only 436 were members. I’ll focus on building membership.
When Oren Lee Staley preached NFO, he said you need to be a member. Staley knew that to get farmers pulling in the same direction they needed to be part of something. Although we have over 4,000 livestock shippers, the voice of livestock is diminished with so many non-members. If everyone utilizing the program joined and paid dues not only would we bring in over $400,000 a year to our bottom line, we would gain bargaining strength and a quarter of the dues would go back to the states. This would give individual states the ability to organize and expand NFO programs.
We need to reverse the trend of losing members for the last 20 years by regrowing our membership numbers. If you elect me President, I’ll speak openly and honestly about why membership is important, how members benefit state organizations, and how their membership helps NFO nationally. We need to show producers that joining is a win-win for all involved.
By Joe Neaton
Hello! My name is Joe Neaton from Watertown, MN. My wife LuAnn and I have been married for 49 years and we have four children and 12 grandchildren.
Born and raised on a dairy farm, my family has been a part of NFO since the early 1960s. In fact, I cannot remember a time when we did not have all our farm production go through the organization. A fun fact is that my nickname in high school was “NFO Joe” due to my enthusiasm and belief in NFO and farming.
In 1975 I started farming on my own and became a member of NFO in my own right. Through my almost 50 years being a member I participated in all three commodities and am now solely in the grain program. I have also been on the Dairy Board, National Director, and State Board, and am currently the Minnesota State President and National Director.
After discussion and encouragement from other members, I have decided to run for national vice president. I firmly believe that the farmer’s voice needs to be heard in an organized fashion not only for the sake of the farmer but for our great nation. From my experience, what is good for the farmer is good for our country, and NFO can directly impact this.
To keep NFO strong and viable, we need new ideas and concepts to intrigue the next generation of farmers. My wife and I are proud to say that our sons are part of the organization, and I would like to expand membership in that age group and younger. It would make my wife and me so proud if our son’s children were part of NFO if they decided to farm as well.
Win or lose I plan on staying and promoting this great organization. NFO is the voice of the farmers, and I am proud to be a long-standing member.
