Records of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union

The programs and policies of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) have supported the successful operation of family farms and ranches for over a century. Eleven months after the organization of the first Colorado local unit of the National Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union (NFU), a state union was formed at a meeting in Pueblo on April 17, 1908. Originally incorporated as the Colorado Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union (CFU), the association changed its name to Rocky Mountain Farmers Union in 1942 to allow for the potential admission of members in the states of Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona. At the time of its centennial celebration in 2007, membership in the RMFU included the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

George B. Lang, a former schoolteacher, journalist, and union organizer, was elected as the first president of the Colorado organization. Other notable presidents include James G. ("Jim") Patton, who led the Colorado union for two years before being elected president of the NFU in 1940; Patton's successor Harvey R. Solberg, who presided over the state organization for 21 years; and third-generation German-Russian farmer John Stencel III. Stencel grew up on a farm in Weld County, Colorado; participated actively in Farmers Union youth activities; served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; and earned a degree with majors in agriculture and social science from Colorado State University. He was elected as RMFU president in 1970 at the age of 28 and served in that capacity for a total of 30 years. During an eight-year hiatus in his presidency, while he served as an administrator for the United States Farm Service Agency, Stencel was succeeded by David E. ("Dave") Carter, who ushered the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union into the 21st century.

The Farmers Union focuses its efforts to assist family farmers in the areas of education, legislation, and cooperation, often presenting this three-fold mission visually as the three sides of an equilateral triangle. Educational programs to facilitate the farmers' knowledge of agricultural and legislative issues are provided at the local, county, state, and national level. Since 1936, summer camps have been offered for the children of union members, and the NFU established a permanent location in 1960 for these camps and other educational activities in the mountains west of Denver near Bailey, Colorado. Young people attend camp and work on educational projects to fulfill the requirements for the Torchbearer award, which is presented at the RMFU annual convention.

Conventions of the RMFU and NFU provide opportunities for union members to elect leaders and draft annual policies and programs to guide the efforts of the organization, particularly in the promotion of pro-family farm legislation at the state and national levels. RMFU annual conventions were held in Denver, Colorado, until 1964. After that year, the convention locations have alternated between Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming. More recent venues include the Colorado cities of Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Greeley. The RMFU offices and related insurance companies have been headquartered at several different locations in the Denver area, and during the lengthy NFU presidency of Jim Patton, the national headquarters was located in Denver as well.

Other educational opportunities for Farmers Union members include the RMFU Fellows program, created in 1987 to enhance knowledge, leadership skills, and political involvement among young Farmers Union members through weekend training seminars and field trips. The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Educational and Charitable Foundation (RMFU Foundation) was established in 1992 to foster activities aimed at strengthening diverse rural economies and assisting agricultural producers, families, and their communities.

Cooperative efforts of Farmers Union members began soon after the organization of the local and state unions. Early cooperative enterprises included grain elevators, creameries, farm supply stores, and oil companies. In 1919, the Colorado Farmers Union Exchange Company opened a wholesale house in Denver, and within two years, members were being encouraged to sell their livestock through the Farmers Union Livestock Commission. By 1925, the Farmers Union Milling and Elevator Company in Denver was soliciting member participation.

The Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Company (FUMIC) was incorporated in Colorado as a mutual protective association in 1914, allowing Farmers Union members to purchase fire insurance at low premium rates. This encouraged Colorado farmers to join the CFU, as did the added benefit of life insurance with the Farmers Union Mutual Benefit Association, organized by Jim Patton in 1932. The life insurance company became part of the National Union Security Association (NUSA) in 1938, and members would later be offered health, casualty, and auto insurance policies.

In 1942, Farmers Union members in northern and eastern Colorado incorporated the Farmers Union Marketing Association (FUMA), and purchased the Kellogg grain elevator and feed mill in Denver. Capacity was greatly expanded in 1951 with the addition of a large grain elevator in Byers, Colorado. Initially, participation in the cooperative was limited to Farmers Union members, but in 1966 the word "Union" was removed from the name. The organization became the Farmers Marketing Association (FMA), and membership was opened to all interested farmers. Most of the association's holdings were sold to the Cargill Corporation in 1988.

The RMFU Cooperative Development Center, created in 1992, has assisted a number of efforts, including the Mountain View Harvest Cooperative (offering a value-added bakery in Longmont, Colorado), the Harmony Market (an outlet for farmers' products in Fort Collins), and the Rancher's Choice Cooperative to market kosher beef and lamb from Colorado's San Luis Valley.