BY TAMMIE SLOUP
The Illinois Farm Bureau Board of Directors approved the organization’s 2025 national legislative priorities, including finalizing a five-year farm bill, tax reform and new trade deals for farmers.
The priorities lay out the agenda for IFB’s national legislative team, which will coordinate with county Farm Bureaus and IFB’s Governmental Affairs and Commodities Division on these efforts.
Once President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in Jan. 20, the White House and Congress will have a Republican majority. Because of this trifecta of power, IFB Director of National Legislation Ryan Whitehouse expects much action in the early part of the year.
One of the major issues facing agriculture is the lack of a new farm bill. The 2018 legislation was extended to Sept. 30, but ag committee leaders in both chambers said they are ready to hit the ground running with discussions.
“The national legislative team is going to engage and count on our farmer leaders to carry the message on these issues during visits to Capitol Hill and farm visits,” Whitehouse said. “It is our goal to engage every member of the Illinois congressional delegation and make sure they understand our members’ concerns and needs. To achieve this, we need your stories; they make a difference.”
During 2024, IFB’s national team coordinated visits between IFB members and a majority of the congressional delegation, with farmers sharing their personal stories pertaining to the farm economy, trade challenges, lack of a farm bill and more.
That work continues heading into 2025 with a new administration, and IFB leadership has outlined the national legislation priorities, including:
Farm bill
- A five-year bipartisan farm bill
- A strong and secure safety net in crop insurance
- An increase in trade promotion funding
- A fix to California’s Proposition 12
- Priorities of IFB membership
Tax reform
- Secure and strengthen the tax provisions from the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”
- Support tax credits for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, which benefit domestic feedstock producers and Illinois farmers
Trade and tariffs
- Defend trade deals for Illinois farmers
- Ensure blanket tariffs are not the trade policy of the United States
- Explore new markets for Illinois agricultural products
- Expand current trade agreements, remove barriers and increase demand for Illinois agriculture products.
Congressional and regulatory engagement
- Congressional and administrative outreach
- Leaders to Washington
- Congressional farm visits
- Managers to Washington
- Comments on proposed rules
Content for this story was provided by FarmWeekNow.com.