3 minute read
Partner Perspective
LaVerne and Shirley. Lucy and Ethel. Thelma and Louise. Bo and Luke. Bert and Ernie.
Iconic partnerships frame our entertainment. They are fun to watch because the two different personalities play off one another, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. In Illinois agriculture, though we aren’t quite famous yet, IL Corn and the Illinois Soybean Association are working to become a notable duo that plays to each other’s strengths and maximizes the investments of our members.
I’ll say it again even though we all know it; farmers that grow corn also grow soybeans. Our members are the same Illinois farmers. Our checkoff contributors are the same Illinois families. We do best for these farmer constituencies when we work together on the issues where working together makes sense.
The next opportunity Illinois corn and soybean farmers will get to see us in-action is the Farm Progress Show. Both associations use this show as a chance to reconnect with the foundation of farmers we are built on, but for the last couple of years, we have been honing our focus on the programs we are building together. The places where we are maximizing farmer investment to do more than one of us could do alone seems like exactly the sort of success story farmers want to see from us.
So, we’ll showcase a huge win from this year – the Illinois Farm Families “We Are the 96%” campaign. While IL Corn and ISA join Illinois Beef Association, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, and Midwest Dairy to implement this campaign, it is a program that is 100 percent better because of the collective investment.
Precision Conservation Management will be another focus. This program continues to receive national recognition because of the innovative way it connects one-on-one with farmers and tackles profitability in addition to conservation adoption. The program grows and reaches more and more farmers, partly due to the weight of both your Illinois associations behind it.
Worried about the new EPA proposed rule mandating 67 percent of light duty vehicles to be battery electric vehicles by 2032? We are together there, too. Both IL Corn and ISA have a renewable fuels market to protect, and we are on the same page helping elevate your voices and defend liquid fuels. You will no doubt be able to learn more about biodiesel and ethanol in our tent.
I’m most certainly dating myself by choosing Bo and Luke Duke and Lucy and Ethel in my list of famous duos. I won’t apologize. But I will offer that in my twenty-one years of service to the Illinois ag industry, this corn and soy partnership has reached new heights. It is a partnership we are proud to showcase for you at the Farm Progress Show, booth 605.
