National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

09/02/2026

AI is changing agriculture faster than many anticipated. In the latest episode of Cooperative Voice, Dan Maycock of Dataplai joins Duane to break down how farmer cooperatives can put AI to work, navigate skepticism around adoption, and build a data strategy that supports long-term growth. A worthwhile listen for any cooperative leader thinking about what comes next.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/72dc4d0c

How can AI revolutionize agriculture and farmer cooperatives? In this episode, Duane Simpson speaks with Dan Maycock, co-founder of Dataplai, about the transformative potential of AI in farming. They explore practical applications, the skepticism surrounding AI adoption, and essential strategies...

08/27/2026

Did you know? Farmer cooperatives do more than market crops.

They provide their farmer-owners with credit and related financial services, including export financing, that keep family farms competitive at home and in international markets.

It's one more way the cooperative business model gives farmers the scale and infrastructure they need to compete, without giving up ownership of the organizations that serve them.

08/24/2026

In FY2025, only 182 out of more than 415,000 farm positions advertised received a domestic applicant. Less than 0.04 percent. The workforce is not there, and the current H-2A system is too narrow, too costly, and too slow to fill the gap.

The bipartisan Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act (H.R. 9535) is the fix. It modernizes the H-2A agricultural guestworker program, expands access to all agricultural operations, codifies that farmer cooperatives can participate on behalf of their members, and streamlines a process that has held farmers back for too long.

America's ability to feed itself depends on a legal, reliable temporary agricultural workforce. Every season without action is a season too many.

Learn more here: ncfc.org/news/farmer-co-ops-support-new-ag-labor-bill-urge-swift-action-to-address-agricultures-labor-crisis/

08/17/2026

Dairy and livestock operations have had limited access to the current H-2A program, leaving them without a legal temporary workforce to keep their operations running at full capacity throughout the year.

The bipartisan Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act (H.R. 9535) fixes that challenge. By removing the outdated seasonal requirement, modernizing the H-2A guestworker program, and clarifying that farmer cooperatives can participate on behalf of their members, the bill gives all agricultural operations access to a temporary legal workforce they have long been denied. It also codifies wage rate methodology to give farmers the cost certainty they need to plan ahead.

America has lost approximately 175,000 farms since 2017. Every season without a fix increases the chances of another farm being lost.

Learn more here: ncfc.org/news/farmer-co-ops-support-new-ag-labor-bill-urge-swift-action-to-address-agricultures-labor-crisis/

08/11/2026

Section 45Z is one of the most consequential clean fuel tax credits for farmer cooperatives, and the rules are still evolving. On August 26, NCFC and the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives (NSAC) are co-hosting a webinar to help members stay ahead of it.

"Section 45Z Clean Fuel Credit: Current Rules and Practical Guidance" will cover recent legislative changes, credit requirements, prevailing wage and apprenticeship considerations, emissions rate calculations, and credit optimization strategies.

We are glad to have Nicole McGovern, Tax Director at Ag Processing Inc., and Chelsey Anderson, Managing Director at RSM US LLP, leading the conversation. Both bring deep expertise in clean energy tax credits and will offer practical, real-world guidance for cooperative stakeholders working through this landscape.

Join us on Wednesday, August 26 at 2:00 PM ET.
Free for NCFC and NSAC Members | $65 for Non-Members

Register here: nsacoop.org/events/section-45z-clean-fuel-credit-current-rules-practical-guidance

08/06/2026

The Senate Agriculture Committee was unable to advance the Agricultural Act of 2026 today, and NCFC is urging the Senate Agriculture Committee to act. American farmers are already operating under extreme economic strain, relying on programs that have not been updated since 2018. Every day without a new farm bill is another day farm families, rural communities, and the consumers who depend on a safe and reliable food supply go without the certainty they need and deserve.

As NCFC President and CEO Duane Simpson said, "Our nation's farm families, along with the American consumers who depend on a safe and reliable food supply, cannot go another year without the certainty they urgently need. We urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to find a path forward for agricultural producers and Americans without further delay."

Read the full statement here: https://ncfc.org/news/farmer-co-ops-urge-the-senate-agriculture-committee-to-find-a-path-forward-on-the-agricultural-act-of-2026/

08/05/2026

The challenges facing American agriculture are not a bad streak of luck or a temporary market downturn. According to Brett Sciotto, CEO of Idealyst Innovation and founder of the Center for American Food Power, they are structural, and they have been building for decades.

In this episode, Brett joins Duane to break down why America risks losing the global agricultural race, why farmer cooperatives are uniquely positioned to lead the turnaround, and why waiting for the damage to fully materialize is the worst strategy available.

Listen now: https://share.transistor.fm/s/a78aab9a

Brett Sciotto started the Center for American Food Power because the threats facing U.S. agriculture aren't a bad streak — they're a structural misalignment that's been building for decades. In this episode, the former Army intelligence officer and founder of Idealyst Innovation joins Duane...

08/03/2026

Farmer cooperatives build infrastructure that moves American agriculture forward, and NCFC's Executive Vice President and General Counsel Marlis Carson was on the ground in Aberdeen, Washington this week to witness that firsthand.

Ag Processing Inc. celebrated the grand opening of their expanded Terminal 4 export facility at the Port of Grays Harbor, and Marlis was there to mark the occasion alongside the cooperative leaders and community members who made it happen. The expanded terminal adds a second dedicated AGP export facility on the Pacific Northwest coast, more than doubling the cooperative's annual soybean meal export capacity and opening a new Pacific Northwest gateway to feed markets across Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Supporting our members means showing up when it counts. Congratulations to AGP on this milestone. We are proud to stand alongside you!

07/28/2026

133 meetings. Four corners. One unified cooperative voice.

Over three days, NCFC members took their priorities straight to the people who need to hear them: 13 U.S. Senators, 45 House Members, and 1 Cabinet Member, including briefings with all four leaders of the congressional agriculture committees.

H-2A reform, USMCA reauthorization, and a completed farm bill aren't just policy priorities. These are the decisions that shape the future of farmer cooperatives. Farmer-owners came to Washington and made their case in 133 meetings this past week at the 2026 NCFC Washington Conference.

Thank you to every cooperative leader who made the trip to Washington. The work you do in those rooms matters. See you next year.

07/27/2026

The final morning of Washington Conference brought together two conversations that set the tone for what lies ahead. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) shared his view from the House on tax and trade priorities, giving farmer cooperative leaders a clear picture of where Congress stands on the issues that directly impact their bottom line. Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections followed with a read on the 2026 electoral landscape and what it means for the policy fights ahead.

From there, our members returned to Capitol Hill for a final round of Hill visits and a House Agriculture Committee briefing, carrying three days of conversations and priorities into their last meetings with members of Congress.