History

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History of NFU

National Farmer Union

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1969
How it was formed

National Farmer Union

The NFU was formed in 1969 through a merger of the Saskatchewan Farmers Union, the Ontario Farmers Union, the Farmers Union of British Columbia, and the Farmers Union of Alberta. In addition to these provincial unions, farmers from the Maritime provinces who were not organized into farmers’ unions at the time also became part of the NFU structure. While drafting the NFU Constitution, it was decided that the organization would have a Women’s President & a Youth President position to ensure more balanced representation and leadership development.

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Across the country, and for more than 50 years, NFU members have been on the front lines, defending farmers’ interests and advocating for better solutions. The members of the NFU — farm families and their urban allies — have racked up a long and impressive list of victories, including: blocking the introduction of GM wheat, gaining recognition for the contribution of farm women, defending Canadians’ rights to save seeds, keeping GM dairy hormones out of Canadian milk, defending supply management and fighting for the CWB, winning changes to our tax systems, and stopping railway attempts to raise grain freight rates.

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2002

NFU Region 3 (Ontario)

In 2002, after years of work by Regional members and officials, NFU Region 3 (Ontario) gained accreditation under Ontario’s Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act and successfully defended accreditation against an appeal by the OFA. This meant that farmers required to obtain a Farm Business Registration (FBR) number from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, could choose to transfer their fees to membership with the National Farmers Union - Ontario.

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2021

At the 52nd Annual National Convention held virtually in November of 2021, a historic constitutional amendment was passed establishing the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) Caucus and creating the positions of BIPOC President and BIPOC Vice-President.