Young Leader Conference: Golden Age of Agriculture

Illinois Farm Bureau's Young Leaders hear how demand will keep prices high, yet speaking out is the true investment in agriculture.

Illinois Farm Bureau's Young Leaders (YL) are emerging during the "golden age of agriculture," according to economist and Director of The Heartland Institute in Chicago Dr. Jay Lehr. At the IFB Young Leader Conference this weekend, Lehr told 450 attendees that this is the best time ever in the history of agriculture.

Jay Lehr talks with Landon Frye, Edgar County. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

Predicts Prices Will Remain High
Lehr expects the growing economies of China and India will keep farm commodity prices at high levels for a long time. "The demand for better and more food has been huge," he said. "The average meat intake has increased by 50% since 1990."

Commodity prices will remain volatile, but Lehr believes strong demand will put a floor under prices. He doesn't envision a time when corn and soybean prices dip back to their previous historic averages, and that is good news as the farming community works to keep young people on the farm.

 "I'm confident grain prices will stay up," he said. "They will not go where they were a decade ago."

Listen to audio from Dr. Lehr

Need to Fill Information Gap
Lehr asked the young men and women in the room to invest in their future and spend two hours every month talking about farming in a positive way to their friends, family, neighbors, and yes, even strangers who aren't involved in agriculture.

"People do not know where food comes from until you tell them," he added. "We have two million people in production agriculture in the U.S. and if every one of them put in two hours a month, we could turn back agriculture's reputation. The better informed the public is about agriculture, the longer our Golden Age of agriculture will be."

YL State Committee Chairman Brent Pollard agreed and also encouraged Young Leaders to step out of their comfort zone and more actively engage consumers about agriculture and food production issues.

"Have a 20-second pitch ready for when you run into a consumer," Pollard said. "That's about the time you have to make an impression on them. Let them know that a seed corn sign doesn't mean Monsanto owns your field, or let them know you take good care of your animals."

Listen to audio from Pollard

Young Leaders Gary Tretter, left, Georgia Henke, Karen Liefer (holding Catania Henke), and Allen Kasten network at conference.

Connecting with Legislators, Too
Pollard believes Young Leaders also need to unleash their voices to decision-makers. "We need to reach out to legislators," he said. "I encourage everyone here to get involved in FB ACT."

FB ACT is an Illinois Farm Bureau program that encourages members to build open, working relationships with elected officials. At this conference, a whopping 45 Young Leaders joined FB ACT!

IFB President Philip Nelson enforced the proactive message during his speech at the YL Conference. "We're depending on you (Young Leaders to carry on the legacy of farming and Illinois Farm Bureau)," he said. "We've got to get more people engaged and tell (consumers) what we do and how we do it."