Family Farm Defenders

06/04/2026

Check out this upcoming talk by FFD vice president, Anthony Pahnke, in Fond du Lac! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HGNFmFNna/

Thursday- June 11 in Fond du Lac....Family Farm Defenders

06/04/2026

Common sense may be in short supply in Washington DC these days, but when it comes to dealing with supply chain shocks in our food system there are some pretty basic solutions - like price floors and supply management! Check out this recent article by FFD's George and Patti Naylor, along with Laurel Levin:

​Price floors and supply management programs seem common sense to policymakers when it comes to oil and minerals, but what about US farmers and our overall food system?

06/02/2026

What a sad way to begin June Dairy Month with another expose of corporate agribusiness greenwashing! If you really want to support WI dairy farmers, be sure to support smallscale grass-based and/or organic producers. And for milk less traveled, look for the number 55 on your dairy product plant code - that means it was at least bottled/processed in our own state!

A report found that the world's largest meat and dairy companies, including some with Wisconsin ties, have made exaggerated climate claims.

06/02/2026

Sick and tired of paying too much for seeds? Aren't seeds part of the commons - that all of us should be able to share without paying some corporation for their patented intellectual property? Universal free access to open source biodiversity is one of the key principles of food sovereignty!

This guide was written by Paulina Jenney and adapted from her professional paper, "Keeping What You Sow: Intellectual Property Rights for Plant Breeders and Seed Growers," submitted in May 2022 to the University of Montana.

05/27/2026

Noticed that farmers are struggling even more than usual this spring? Wondering what politicians are doing to address this crisis? FFD vice president, Anthony Pahnke, offers some advice that goes beyond bailout bandaids...

Trump touts bringing back manufacturing but seems willing to throw farmers under the bus with tariffs, wars and our food coming from who knows where.

05/18/2026

Have some creative inspirational cultural expression to share - poetry, artwork, essay? NFFC is looking for contributions for its first-ever anthology celebrating the family farm movement! Find out more and read guidelines online:

NFFC is seeking writing and art that celebrates our coalition and family-scale farmers for our first-ever anthology. We hope this collective publication will help tell the story of family farmers’ decades-long fight for a fair food and farm system that ... Read More

05/18/2026

Comedians can be your ally! I must admit that I've been a longtime fan of Charlie Berens and his Manitowoc Minute, but his foray into the AI hyper datacenter debate has been so spot on! It is not the first time that he has taken a progressive and/or populist stance on issues, but his voice on this one has made a huge difference. The majority of people in WI now oppose this land/water/power grabbing by the Big Data Bros.

Known for his ‘Manitowoc Minute’ skits and midwestern humor, the journalist turned comedian is speaking out against the AI datacenter boom in Wisconsin

05/02/2026

Happy International Workers Day everyone! May Day came out of the Eight Hour Day Struggle in the U.S. following the Hay Market Massacre in Chicago in 1886. While May Day is now celebrated all around the world, it is NOT an official holiday in the U.S.. Nonetheless, thousands of people joined the May Day Rally in Madison, WI including students and teachers (school was cancelled). Here are some photos of the FFD folks at May Day!

05/01/2026

Does anyone remember reading a book called the Jungle by Upton Sinclair? As we celebrate May Day (which came out of labor struggles in Chicago long ago), one can only imagine the consequences for workers and consumers of this type of decision today...

Labor organizers, environmental advocates, and economists agree: This is a bad idea.

04/28/2026

Will Big Data/Big Tech save small farmers? Unlikely! FFD president, Patti Naylor, has something to say about this - check it out:

As AI transforms agriculture, a new report highlights risks to small farmers and outlines key recommendations to help protect them.