BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Farm bill 2023 and sustainability efforts remained top of mind as more than 4,000 farmers across the country gathered during the 104th Annual Convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
The event, held Jan. 6-11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was themed “Mi Familia” and brought together 338 voting delegates, including 19 delegates from Illinois to shape AFBF policy. Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) submitted policy recommendations on various issues, including ESG scoring in farm bill programs, renewable energy, climate change, livestock marketing, specialty crops and national farm policy.
Discussions kicked off Sunday with AFBF President Zippy Duvall’s annual address to members. Duvall acknowledged the power of Farm Bureau’s grassroots advocacy efforts with lawmakers and regulators on a range of topics in 2022.
“We have a mighty force of Farm Bureau advocates,” Duvall said. “When we combine the advocates with our team of expert lobbyists, we are a force to be reckoned with.”
Duvall also announced that AFBF signed a memorandum of understanding with John Deere that ensures farmers’ right to repair their own farm equipment. The agreement is the culmination of several years of discussions between AFBF and John Deere.
“Illinois Farm Bureau appreciates the work American Farm Bureau Federation and John Deere did to get us to this point,” said IFB President Richard Guebert Jr. “Farmers take pride in ownership and finding creative solutions for their farms. They deserve the freedom to choose where their equipment is repaired, including the ability to repair their own equipment, to help control costs. Through the MOU, John Deere is committed to safeguarding farmers and independent repair facilities access to the tools and software needed to keep America’s food supply strong.”
Read the MOU here.
Monday’s closing session featured remarks from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who provided an update on several developments at the United States Department of Agriculture. He also included details on the next phases of the Emergency Relief Program and Pandemic Assistance Revenue program, and discussed the importance of the 2023 farm bill.
“A farm bill isn’t just about farms, and it isn’t just about nutrition, and it isn’t just about conservation,” said Vilsack. “It’s about preserving a fundamental aspect of our country, of being a food secure nation that empowers the rest of the nation to do all of what we do in America.”
Policy Debate
Illinois Farm Bureau delegates made good progress with the resolutions from the IAA annual meeting in early December.
“I’m proud of our entire grassroots process, from our county delegates work in Chicago and our delegates on the AFBF floor today,” said Guebert. “Illinois successfully passed our livestock pricing resolution into the AFBF policy book. That policy includes ‘supporting creation and development of livestock pricing tools based on the blend of the cash value from the boxed beef, wholesale pork, or boxed lamb reported values, respectively.’”
AFBF Delegates approved IFB submittals to support tax incentives to locate grocery stores in underserved areas. Guebert said, “many times we think of food deserts in urban and suburban areas, there are downstate areas that are losing their grocery stores on a regular basis.”
Delegates also saw support for the Ag Impact Mitigation Agreements (AIMA) as a measure to protect landowner rights as infrastructure projects continue to grow, increasing the baseline for the 2023 farm bill and reaffirming Farm Bureau’s position opposing the 2022 Waters of the U.S. rule ahead of the formal SCOTUS ruling on navigable waters.
Illinois also was successful with its resolution surrounding Electric Power Generation – Support Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as part of the energy portfolio of the U.S. and efforts to locate projects on marginal or underused lands, including brownfields, rather than on highly productive tillable farmland.
Illinois Farm Bureau Recognition
Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders excelled in several of AFBF’s national competitions. Evan Hultine of Bureau County was named 3rd place finalist as the Illinois representative for the AFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award. The award competition features young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Competitors are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operation’s growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of the organization.
Kaylee Heap of Kendall County placed fourth in the AFBF Excellence in Agriculture competition. The competition features young farmers and ranchers who are actively contributing and growing their involvement in Farm Bureau and the agriculture industry, but whose net income doesn’t come from production agriculture.
Heap was appointed in December to AFBF’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.
Ryan Reeverts of Ogle County represented Illinois in the AFBF Young Leader Discussion Meet.
IFB received a New Horizon Award in recognition of its County Farm Bureau Certified Director Program. The award, which recognizes new innovative state Farm Bureau programs, stemmed from the IFB’s new “on-demand” program providing additional leadership development for members in key roles. The program combines in-person and online training at an affordable price.
Additionally, IFB received Awards of Excellence for outstanding achievements in all four program areas: advocacy; coalitions and partnerships; engagement and outreach; and leadership and business development.
County Recognition
Seven Illinois county Farm Bureaus are among those selected as winners in the AFBF County Activities of Excellence Program. Bureau, Marshall-Putnam, Stark, Cook, Champaign, Dekalb and McLean County Farm Bureaus’ winning programs were featured during the ag showcase.
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 366,043 and a farmer membership of 76,527. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.
— Illinois Farm Bureau