Keynote Tucker Carlson

"I love farmers."

Not a bad way to start a keynote address to a room of more than 1000 people who love agriculture. That's exactly what journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson said as he took the stage at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago.

He added that farmers are "the only people I have ever met in my life who are tough and nice at the same time."

Carlson also said that he wasn't the only one to admire the men and women of agriculture, "Farmers are maybe one of the last groups in America that have the respect of Congress. In Washington, people still listen to farmers."

That's good news to hear right now. Illinois Farm Bureau is in the middle of an Action Request, asking the entire farming community to contact their legislators and ask them to pass a tax system that is up-to-date with today's economic realities.

"The lack of a deal, going over the fiscal cliff, would of course raise taxes on everybody in America at a variety of different levels, capital gains tax, death tax, Bush's tax breaks rolled back, etc. etc, etc.," said Carlson.

"Things will change dramatically if a deal can't be reached," he added. "This is something you already know because you [agriculture community] have so much on the line."

You can help pull our nation back from the "fiscal cliff."  Please contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators by Monday, December 3. Urge them to maintain current estate tax provisions. Let them know you also support the current capital gains tax rate and continuation of Section 179 small business expensing. (Read more.)

Who to Contact & How

Weekdays:  Call the capitol switchboard at 877-I-ACT-4-AG (877-422-8424) and ask for the office of your Congressman and Senators.

Weekend:  Visit IFB's Legislative Action Center to send an email. (IFB offers a sample email that you can easily edit or personalize.)

Report Your Contacts

Please report your contacts by calling 1-800-879-1976, by emailing fbact@ilfb.org, or visiting www.ilfb.org/reportcontacts.  Provide your name, your address, the legislators you spoke with, and your county. Please submit your contact report by Wednesday, December 5, 2012.