BY LYNDSAY JONES
The strength of grassroots organizing was on full display Tuesday as nearly 500 Illinois Farm Bureau members gathered in Springfield for the Governmental Affairs and Leadership Conference.
The annual daylong event brings IFB members together for sessions aimed at equipping attendees with the ability to advocate for policies they care about, as well as learn how IFB is advocating at the state, federal and local levels on their behalf.
This year's theme was "The Power of Grassroots."
"The power of grassroots is in each and every one of you," IFB President Philip Nelson said during his opening remarks. "You are the people who develop the policies. You're the people that work with legislators to see those policies get implemented."
Lawmakers who spoke at this year's conference included Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, as well as U.S. House Ag Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson, outgoing Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood.
Speaking with RFD Radio's Jim Taylor, Durbin said Tuesday he had learned during his 44 years in office that he could "could on an annual visit from farmers and families through the Farm Bureau that really gave me a good picture of what the economy is like for them."
Durbin opted not to run for reelection.
"I think it's critically important that the new senator — whoever it happens to be — cares about downstate Illinois and cares about agriculture," he said. "I tried to make it clear here, in all humility, I started off knowing little or nothing about agriculture. I've learned a lot over the years. The bottom line: It's a critical part of the economy and the culture of this great state."
Speaking with RFD Radio's Rita Frazer, Nelson said this year's attendees are a reflection of IFB's strength in advocacy work.
"It shows that we're engaged with these people — and we have to be as we write a farm bill, as we deal with regulations in Springfield and Washington, D.C.," he said. "These are some of the key people that move policy so that engagement is critical for the success."
Other speakers Tuesday included U.S. EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Danny Munch and National Corn Growers Association Economist Krista Swanson.
Former New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu, who served four terms before returning to the private sector in 2025, was the keynote speaker.
IFB's Governmental Affairs and Commodities staff led workshops on key topics, including rural broadband, PFAS policy, battery and energy storage siting and NRCS funding opportunities, among a host of others.
Content for this story was provided by FarmWeekNow.com.
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