Government Relations

State Legislative Priorities

Animal Agriculture

  • Advocate alongside other key Illinois policy groups to preserve livestock farmer’s right to operate and site new or expanded operations in Illinois reducing in state demand for meat products produced outside of Illinois.

Transportation

  • Work with the Illinois Department of Transportation to continue the integration of ports and port districts into IDOT planning. This includes working to invest existing state capital funds into port projects.
  • Engage local government groups to promote the concept of bridge bundling and other means of rapidly replacing rural bridges across Illinois.

Taxes

  • Support efforts to bring the Illinois estate tax closer to the current Federal exemption level to allow family farms to remain whole and pass from generation to generation.

Federal Legislative Priorities

Transportation

  • Support funding for and timely progress of work on waterways projects in Peoria, LaGrange and at Lock 25.
  • Ensure the efficient movement of soybeans, soybean products and inputs for soybeans through rail, truck and/or barge.

Trade

  • Encourage new trade deals that allow for additional market access and the removal of non-tariff barriers for soybeans, particularly in Asian markets. This market access should include the protection of modern technologies used by Illinois soybean farmers in new markets as well as those we currently serve.

Climate-Smart Agriculture

  • Support incentive-based conservation programs that allow growers to implement practices that work for their individual operations, as opposed to mandates. This includes the development of improved and more transparent ecosystems markets where the farmer is able to capture the full benefit of their climate-smart practices.