8 minute read
Growing Audiences Across the Industry (and Beyond)
by Olivia Key
Soybeans play an indispensable role in our daily lives, serving as a source of nutrition for livestock and humans, a renewable energy source for fleets and a versatile fiber for industrial uses such as paints, plastics, and cleaners. This truth is at the core of the Illinois Soybean Association's (ISA) mission.
Whether ISA is engaging with Chicagoland consumers, amplifying Illinois farmers’ voices at the state and national levels, or celebrating farmer achievements, the organization is dedicated to creating a statewide understanding of the crop, the farmers who produce it and the impact it has on consumers.
Chicagoland Consumer Outreach
According to ISA Domestic Markets Manager Tim Rendall, one of the main reasons ISA engages with Chicagoland residents is because Chicago is a significant economic driver for the state and a major consumer of agricultural products. “Chicago has a huge consumer base, and understanding those consumers’ desires and needs and making sure farmers and consumers are connected is a big priority for the ISA Market Development Committee.” To build that relationship, Rendall works closely with Illinois Farm Families (IFF), a coalition comprised of ISA, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Beef Association, IL Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Pork Producers Association and Midwest Dairy. “The goal of the Illinois Farm Families coalition is to open a dialogue between Chicago residents who do not have ties to agriculture and Illinois farmers who want to better understand their consumers,” Rendall says.
Initiatives spearheaded by IFF allow Chicagoland parents and grocery shoppers to better understand what happens on a farm. They also learn how the state's farmers care for the planet and how their priorities and values align with those of Illinois farmers to bridge any gaps of understanding.
“The goals of farmers and urban parents are the same: they want to raise healthy families, they want to be connected to their food choices and they want to make sure that they are doing what's best for their families, their communities and their environment,” Rendall says. “As a farm organization and as a representative of farmers, it’s important that we work to understand consumers’ concerns, priorities and interests, so we can strengthen the connection between farmers and consumers. You want to be connected to your decisions, you want to have an understanding of where your food comes from and you want to have transparency in the supply chain,” he adds.
Outreach to State and Federal Legislators
Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG) is a voluntarily funded membership program that aims to increase the profitability of Illinois soybean farmers through legislative advocacy, public policy initiatives, and education.
ISA Public Policy Manager Corey Lacey focuses his time on advocating for Illinois soybean farmers on conservation and environmental policy issues. “When you speak broadly about farm policy, everything is very complex and nuanced. And because of that, it presents a lot of challenges for any individual farmer or farm operation to take on by themselves,” Lacey says. “Traditionally, farmers see policy as something that happens outside of their control. But the truth is, when you're part of a membership organization where we can do advocacy, you can effectively influence things to be more farmer-friendly.”
Through ISG, members’ support has created a team of experts who work to share the soybean farmers' voices in both D.C. and Springfield. Currently, the team is narrowing its focus to pesticide regulations that would greatly impact Illinois farmers. “At the federal level, regulation around pesticides is something we're doing a lot of outreach on. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and changes to pesticide regulation around the ESA have the real potential to create challenges for our farm operations in Illinois,” Lacey says.
To meet its responsibilities under the ESA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to implement a new Herbicide Strategy. This proposal would hinder farmers’ abilities to properly use herbicides, as it would require them to attain points by adopting costly and time-consuming conservation practices.
Lacey says, “One thing that we do as ISG is create farmer opportunities to share their voice, not only with the EPA but also with congressional offices on how these pesticide issues could impact our farmers and why they should be a priority and top of mind.”
Conservation programs that allow growers to implement practices that work for their individual operations are also a big priority for ISG. Lacey said, “Farmers are supportive of conservation, and we want to find public policies that allow them to do conservation that makes sense on their fields in a voluntary manner. Farmers know what's best for their fields and what works and what doesn't.”
On the state side, ISG is focused on increasing the estate tax threshold, which currently sits at $4 million. “The average farm gets close to the threshold relatively fast with just their farmland. When you consider everything else a farmer has in their assets, many find themselves over the threshold,” says Collin Cisco, ISA Public Policy Manager. “Overall, the rising cost of everything is hurting our farmers, and ISG is working to find a good middle ground to relieve some of that financial burden.”
According to Lacey, many Illinois legislators don’t have the necessary background to fully grasp farmers’ needs and interests. “Nearly two-thirds of our state’s legislators live within sight of the Sears Tower in Chicago. That's a great indication that most of our decisionmakers in Illinois don't have a farm background. So educating them and sharing that agriculture is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, economic drivers in the state is essential.”
To learn more about ISG or to ensure your voice is heard in Springfield and D.C., visit ilsoygrowers.com.
Illinois Top 20 Under 40 Farmers
The Illinois 20 Under 40 program celebrates 20 young farmers for their work in the Illinois agricultural community. Now in its third year, the program continues to recognize livestock, grain and specialty crop farmers for their successes on the farm and their contributions to their communities.
ISA Communications Manager Claire Weinzierl emphasizes the importance of recognizing all Illinois farmers, not just soybean farmers. “Farmers in Illinois, no matter what you're growing or producing, often share a lot of similar priorities. Often, it seems livestock farmers also grow soybeans, and soybean farmers also grow corn. There's not a lot of variation when it comes to farming these days. Through 20 Under 40, we partner to present the program with various ag commodities across Illinois who also have young farmers they represent and want to recognize.”
The Illinois 20 Under 40 Program is presented by ISA, IL Corn, Illinois Pork Producers, Illinois Beef Association, Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association, Illinois Farm Bureau, Grain & Feed Association of Illinois and Midwest Dairy. John Deere has been the program's presenting sponsor since its inception in 2021.
Farmers and their families are especially proud to participate in this program if they're selected. Cassie Schleich, a 20 Under 40 winner in 2023, says the experience has been fun to share with her family and has shown her daughters the importance of staying involved and continuing to grow. “Our girls have grown up in the barn and often tag along on breeding projects with us, but they are both getting to the age where they are more involved and showing interest in certain areas. So it's been fun to show them how hard work can pay off. I think it's important that regardless of how busy we get keeping up with our farm, I show the girls how vital it is to stay involved with the community and this industry. There's always room to grow and learn.”
Community involvement is pivotal in sustaining and advancing the agriculture industry. It also fosters strong relationships between farmers and the communities they serve. Weinzierl says, “The farmers that we're nominating aren't just going above and beyond on their farms, but they're also going above and beyond in their communities. They're getting involved in their county Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation District, or even their local school district, church board or 4-H club. They're doing so much more than just farming, and that’s what we're looking to recognize and amplify: the farmers making an impact in their community.”
The 20 Under 40 winners for 2024 will be announced this summer. If you're curious to learn about the achievements of the 2023 winners, visit www.ilsoy.org/20under-40/past-winners/.
