Most Recent Talking Points as of May 10, 2023

Note: For IFB’s full comprehensive talking points, please contact your local county Farm Bureau or visit the Leaders’ Portal.

I-55 Dust Storm

Background:

High wind speeds blowing dust created low or zero visibility conditions, causing dozens of vehicles to crash and shutdown I-55 between Divernon and Farmersville on Monday, May 1, 2023. At least six people were killed and more than 30 injured. About 30 commercial motor vehicles and 40-60 passenger cars were involved in the crashes.

On social media and in subsequent media reporting on the dust storm and crash, Illinois Farm Bureau has documented a few cases in which farmers were blamed for the hazardous road conditions. For example, Illinois State Police said in a statement issued on Monday that “…The cause of the crash is due to excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway leading to zero visibility.”

These talking points are intended to assist IFB staff and farmers in responding to questions about farmers role in the May 1, 2023, hazardous road conditions crash.

Holding Statement:

“Illinois Farm Bureau is closely monitoring the details of the accident along I-55 near Farmersville. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those, and their families, involved in the accident. We would also like to thank the emergency personnel who responded. This area of Illinois is currently 1-3 inches below normal rainfall in the last 30 days, creating drier than normal conditions, coupled with consecutive days of high winds. Unfortunately, these weather conditions contribute to these dust events, which can cause low visibility on roads. We remind people when approaching low visibility to ensure their headlights are on and, if reducing speed, to turn on their hazards.”

Headline Messages:

Mother Nature is unpredictable. Unfortunately, the high winds on May 1 hit as many farmers are in various stages of planting season.
Planting naturally disturbs topsoil, but farmers use many best management practices to prevent soil loss and erosion, such as reduced tillage, no-till and cover crops. Farmers also look for places along farm fields for fence rows and tree plantings.
For this time of year, cover crops would have already been eliminated from the field to prep for spring planting.
Certain areas of Illinois are experiencing drier than normal conditions.
These periods of sustained winds typically happen in Central Illinois at least once a year.
This combination of dry weather and high winds contribute to hazardous conditions and low visibility on roads.
No field activity was occurring in the field at the time of the dust storm and accident. There is no indication of when the fields along I-55 were prepped for planting.
Farmer involvement in state and federal conservation programs are currently at an all-time high and will lead to additional best practice implementation in the future.

Conservation:

Farmers are at the forefront of climate-smart farming, putting scientific solutions, technology, and innovation to work to protect our land, air and water.
Every year is a learning experience where you’re constantly building better knowledge and considering new strategies or adjusting current ones.
This is a long-haul effort, not a sprint. Farmers will continue to evaluate research, find the best fit for their fields, and make steady progress in this space.
Illinois Farm Bureau is leading the way in policies that reduce emissions, enrich the soil and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before.

Cover Crop Expansion

Source: FarmWeek “Research shows cover crop adoption up to 7.2% in Midwest” (article from Feb. 2023, but references 2021 numbers).

Headline Messages:

Cover crops are being seeded across more Midwestern acres than ever, according to the University of Illinois.
Research shows cover crop adoption reached 7.2% in 2021, up from 1.8% a decade earlier.
Satellite-based remote-sensing efforts detected cover crops across 140 million cropland acres and tracked the expansion over 20 years.
The uptick coincides with increased state and federal incentive programs.
Cover crop adoption doubled across Midwest between 2017 and 2021.
Illinois and Iowa are leading the way thanks to a discount in crop insurance premiums for adopting cover crops.

Soil Conservation Efforts

Background: Although nutrient loss is a complex environmental issue that will require many solutions, farmers are committed to discovering what will work for each farmer, in each region of Illinois. Farmers are leading through investment. Since 2013, Illinois farmers and agricultural retailers have invested more than $30 million dollars into nutrient research through IL NREC.

Headline Messages:

Farmers are at the forefront of climate-smart farming, putting scientific solutions, technology, and innovation to work to protect our land, air and water.
Every year is a learning experience where you’re constantly building better knowledge and considering new strategies or adjusting current ones.
This is a long-haul effort, not a sprint. Farmers will continue to evaluate research, find the best fit for their fields, and make steady progress in this space.
U.S. agriculture contributes around 10% to overall greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector, far less than other major industries.
Thanks to farmers’ dedication to conserve natural resources, that share drops to negative 2% when additional carbon absorbing practices are factored in.
Farmers are promoting healthy soil by planting cover crops and adopting sustainable practices that trap carbon.
Farm Bureau is leading the way in policies that reduce emissions, enrich the soil and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before.

2023 Farm Bill Talking Points

Why Does the Farm Bill Matter for Everyone?

Food security: America’s public investment in agriculture through farm bill programs helps secure our domestic food supply and keep our country strong while consumers get the benefits of high-quality, affordable food.

Jobs: The food and agriculture industry supports nearly 21.5 million U.S. jobs (that’s more than 14% of U.S. employment) and contributes more than $1 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product.

The food and agriculture sector is critical to our economy, making up roughly one-fifth of U.S. economic activity, directly supporting nearly 23 million jobs—15% of total U.S. employment. When looking across the entire food and agriculture supply chain, agriculture’s impact is even more striking, supporting more than 46 million jobs.
The vibrancy of our rural communities relies on farm bill programs that support rural infrastructure and other investments, including broadband, a “must have” to ensure career opportunities as well as access to quality education and health care.

Conservation: The farm bill’s investment in ag research and conservation programs are critical to ensuring the productivity and sustainability in our farms and domestic food supply.

Farm bill conservation programs recognize farmers as partners in sustainability and provide resources to help them care for environmentally sensitive land and employ climate-smart practices in their fields to help preserve wildlife habitat, soil and water.
Through the farm bill, farmers have voluntarily enrolled 140 million acres in conservation programs—that’s equal to the size of California and New York combined.
The farm bill’s investment in agricultural research and conservation programs is critical to reaching sustainability goals as we work to feed a growing population using fewer resources.
Thanks to advances in climate-smart farming, farmers are producing more with fewer resources. To put this in perspective, it would have taken 100 million more acres 40 years ago to produce the same amount of food, feed, fiber and fuel we are growing today.

Risk Management: We all depend on the success of American agriculture so it’s important for America’s farmers and ranchers to be supported by strong farm programs as they face down weather disasters, high supply costs and inflationary pressures. Managing risk is critical to keep food on our tables.

Farmers and ranchers are proud to grow and raise the safe, sustainable food, fiber and fuel we all rely on, and the farm bill gives them the tools they need to keep our farms and food supply secure in all seasons.
We buy insurance to prepare for tough times, and similarly, crop insurance through the farm bill provides an important tool to help farmers and ranchers weather storms beyond their control.
In light of global events, supply chain challenges and inflation, it is critical that the U.S. make it a top priority to protect our food supply for the well-being and security of our nation.

Addressing Hunger: The farm bill includes nutrition programs intended to ensure the most vulnerable among us have access to healthy, affordable food.

This is more accurately a food and farm bill, as funding provides a comprehensive package of programs for farmers, as well as access to safe and nutritious food for families in need.
America’s farmers and ranchers are proud to grow the food that helps supply more than 4 billion meals annually through the farm bill’s nutrition programs, which ensure the most vulnerable among us have access to healthy, affordable food.