In recognition of his tireless support and advocacy for rural communities, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has awarded Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) one of its highest awards.
“We are so proud to be able to give Senator Jon Tester of Montana really one of our highest awards here,” said NFU president Rob Larew. “This is our Fairness for Farmers Champion Award because Senator Tester has been there time and time again. Whether we're talking about country-of-origin labeling, restoring fairness to beef markets, Right to Repair or other Ag issues, Senator Tester remains one of those key leaders that isn't afraid of a fight and goes charging in for the best interests of family farmers.”
A long-time advocate against consolidation in the ag industry, Senator Tester says Farmers Union has always fought against corporate monopolies and for stronger enforcement of antitrust laws to create more fairness for farmers and consumers.
“It's about production agriculture and it's about family farm agriculture,” said Tester. “We're seeing consolidation in production and we're seeing consolidation of the inputs. We're seeing consolidation in the marketplace. Farmers Union has always fought to make sure that family farmers get their fair share so that everybody can make a profit, not just those at the top of the food chain. And that's what they've done year in, year out, and that's why I'm a member of Farmers Union.”
Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer says there's no bigger champion for agriculture in the halls of Congress today than Senator Tester.
“He really has done a lot of work promoting our agenda,” said Schweitzer. “He does it because he's a third generation Farmers Union member. He knows our issues. He lives our issues. He gets it and he's getting it done now.”
For more information about the National Farmers Union’s Fairness for Farmers campaign, visit www.nfu.org.
