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Leaders highlight farm bill priorities during Illinois State Fair Ag Day

Industry leaders celebrated Agriculture Day at the Illinois State Fair by discussing future ag policy.

US House Ag Committee member Cheri Bustos and Illinois Senator Patrick Joyce held a 2023 Farm Bill listening session at the Illinois Department of Agriculture building on the fairgrounds Tuesday. Bustos tells Brownfield, “I’m not running for re-election, so my goal is to help lay the foundation to make sure the 2023 Farm Bill gets off at a good place. All of the ideas that are raised today will go back to Washington D.C.”

Illinois Farm Bureau President Rich Guebert participated in the panel and tells Brownfield the top priorities for their members.“We need crop insurance to continue where it is today, that baseline needs to stay. We need to improve and expand the conservation programs and their availability to young farmers, in particular, to participate. We want to see the dairy margin protection that is available to our dairymen expanded.”

Matt Rush, Vice Chairman of the Illinois Corn Growers Association tells Brownfield a survey of their members shows 94% agree crop insurance needs to stay where it is at. Also, “We are wanting to see some market access money and foreign market development because we need to get our corn exported out of this country so we hope that is part of this next farm bill as well.”

Representatives from the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Beef Association, Illinois Specialty Growers Association, and Illinois Department of Agriculture were also panelists for the discussion. Several other industry leaders, farmers, 4-H and FFA members in the audience had the opportunity to make comments and ask questions.