Illinois Farm Bureau members meet with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, in his Capitol Hill office during the annual fall Leaders to Washington Program. (Tim Eggert, FarmWeek).From left to right, back row: Jacob Miller, Clark County; Austin Flamm, Union; Leeson Gord, DeKalb; Scott Brummel, Kendall-Grundy; Nowell Moore, Woodford; Roy Plote, DeKalb; and Michael Book, Lee. Front row: Craig Thompson, McLean; Anna Schmidt-Ditchfield, LaSalle; Jenny Hanks, Macoupin; Sarah Hoerner, Livingston; Robert Klemm, DeWitt; and Ryan Bailey, Richland. Photo by Tim Eggert, FarmWeek.

Farm Bureau members participate in Leaders to Washington Program

Thirteen farm leaders, including one from Union County, recently met with members of Illinois’ congressional delegation at their Capitol Hill offices in Washington, D.C., to advocate for agricultural issues.

Illinois Farm Bureau, IFB, members, during the organization’s annual fall Leaders to Washington Program trip on Sept. 15, raised issues concerning labor, rising input costs, trade and barriers facing new and beginning farmers with elected officials and their staffs.

“There’s no question our members are engaged with these issues daily,” said Adam Nielsen, IFB’s director of national legislation and policy development. 

“When IFB members tell their story in a way that is memorable, they maximize their influence with their elected officials.”

Attending members were Sarah Hoerner, Livingston County; Nowell Moore, Woodford; Jenny Hanks, Macoupin; Anna Schmidt-Ditchfield, LaSalle; Jacob Miller, Clark; Michael Book, Lee; Austin Flamm, Union; Craig Thompson, McLean; Leeson Gord, Dekalb; Scott Brummel, Kendall-Grundy; Roy Plote, DeKalb; Ryan Bailey, Richland; and Robert Klemm, DeWitt.

Participants brought a range of backgrounds and perspectives to the table, representing local county Farm Bureaus, state and local Young Leaders committees and the Illinois Agricultural Association Board. 

Over the course of the three-day trip, farmers met directly with elected officials and shared firsthand accounts of how federal policy affects their farms and businesses.

On the first day, IFB members met with American Farm Bureau Federation staff to hear updates on environmental issues, economic and regulatory shifts in the livestock industry and proposed changes to national ag.

The group later spoke with legislators and their staff about current issues facing agriculture. 

Discussions focused on the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act, congressional efforts to advance trade agreements, priorities for the 2023 farm bill and infrastructure funding for rural Illinois.

Delegates who joined sit-down conversations included Reps. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville; Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon; Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap; Mary Miller, R-Oakland; and Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville; Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Hoffman Estates; and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield.

The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. 

Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. 

IFB has a total membership of more than 372,326 and a voting membership of 77,462. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.

The Gazette-Democrat

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