President’s Podium: Welcome to 2025

Welcome to the year 2025! Hopefully, everyone had a chance to catch up with friends and family over the holidays.

There are just a couple of things that happened right before the holidays. Most members are probably aware that the Food and Farm Bill was extended as part of the funding deal passed by the federal legislature and signed by the president. You will hear more from RMFU as we continue the two-year struggle to get a new bill in place instead of an extension.

I also want to highlight the failure of the proposed Kroger/Albertson’s merger due to the judgement that it would harm consumers and the market. It has become a big news story that consolidation is good for those consolidating, and bad for everyone else.  We in agriculture have been dealing with consolidation for decades, and we have increased awareness across the country.

All three of our states and the federal legislatures are beginning new sessions. One of the things we pride ourselves on in RMFU is being a grassroots organization, and with the revised policy adopted by delegates in November, we will be working hard to strengthen our members’ voices in our state and federal capitals. Keep an eye out for action alerts and updates as issues arise. Put our drive-ins to the state capitals on your calendar and help us build relationships with and increase our influence on the legislative process.