Hi Rosemarie,
we're members of NFUS. We're also insured with NFU Mutual, mainly because they offer public liability & machinery insurance as part of the household & buildings insurance, but you don't need to be a member of NFUS to insure with NFU Mutual.
I think membership costs vary with the size of the business - we pay very little as a smallholder, but still get invitations to all the talks & farm visits etc. Also a glossy magazine with updates on legislation etc. As a member you also get free telephone consultations on legal or financial matters - I used this to look into VAT registration, which helped me decide it was not for me.
I get a lot of support & advice from neighbouring farmers & friends, and although they don't know (or really care) whether I'm a member ot their Union, I feel that I should add my support to farming in general. Every union depends on a strong membership base, who may not individually gain much. Plus, the magazine is interesting at times.
John