KFU Members Attend NFU Convention
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NEW ORLEANS – Fifteen Kansas Farmers Union (KFU) members were among the 500 farmers and ranchers from throughout the nation who gathered in New Orleans March 7-9 for the 124th anniversary convention of National Farmers Union (NFU) to set the organization’s 2026 policy.
The finalized policy priorities approved by NFU’s delegates include three special orders of business on timely topics: Family Farmers, the Farm Crisis and the Future of Food and Farm Policy; Family Farming and the Roots of Our Democracy, and Family Farming and Dairy Policy Reform.
“It was a very good convention,” KFU President Donn Teske said. “New Orleans was a new experience for Kathy and me. There wasn’t a lot of drama in the policy discussion, and we did what needed to be done to continue the proud heritage of Farmers Union.”
Teske was reappointed Chair of the Farmers Union Midwest Agency (FUMA) and to the NFUSA, Foundation, Budget/Audit, Education & Cooperative Committees. Teske also serves as the NFU representative on the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s executive board.
Teske, his wife Kathy, and daughter Lisa Teske Spevacek (Pottawatomie County), Tom & Sheryl Giessel (Pawnee County), Kate Giessel & Brad Everett (Kansas City), Sheila Kjellberg (Saline County), Amanda Lindahl (Dickinson County), James Bowden (Saline County), Donna Pearson McClish (Sedgwick County), Jazelle Thomas (Sedgwick County), Scott Kohl (Pottawatomie County), incoming Farmers Union Midwest Agency General Manager Rob Fisher, and Nick Levendofsky (Republic County) were all participants representing KFU.
“Grassroots democracy starts in rooms full of people who put aside their differences to move forward the greater good,” said Saline County member Sheila Kjellberg. “It was an honor to represent Kansas Farmers Union and be part of that process.”
Republic County Farmers Union member and KFU Executive Director Nick Levendofsky served on the NFU Policy Committee along with members from several other states.
“The committee was made up of a group of passionate farmers, ranchers, and agriculture advocates from all over the country with diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and operations,” Levendofsky said. “It truly was a subsection of the organization, and I feel we cooperatively addressed many of the major issues facing family farmers and ranchers now and into the future.”
Pawnee County Farmers Union member Tom Giessel received NFU’s Bruce Miller award, which recognizes individuals who display a passion for family farming and rural America while promoting the work of the Farmers Union. Giessel, who also serves as NFU’s honorary historian, gave a breakout presentation with his daughter, Kate, about Farmers Union in the South to a standing-room only audience.
“As a fifth-generation family farmer who recently returned to the farm, attending the 124th NFU convention was especially meaningful to me,” said KFU board member Amanda Lindahl. “I was happy not only to meet many other Next Generation producers, but also to hear their inspiring stories of hard work, dedication, and hope as they tend the land and work to produce food for consumers locally and globally.” “Convention is an incredible time to learn from one another and work cooperatively to revise and advance our policy agenda on behalf of family farmers across the country,” she added.
“The challenges facing family farmers and ranchers continue to grow more complex,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “But through it all, Farmers Union continues to do something Washington too often struggles to achieve: bringing people with diverse viewpoints together, working through tough issues and emerging with solutions they built collectively. That unity is our greatest strength.”
NFU’s 125th Anniversary Convention will be held March 7-9, 2027, in San Antonio, TX.