Army Corps Of Engineers

Second chances don’t come along every day. But every once in a while, we get a chance to start fresh, learn from our mistakes and do better.

The first names were common in the last century: Clara, Woodrow, Elmer, Ethel. The last names, Anglicized over time, mostly reached back to Germany and France with a few stopping short in Ireland and Scotland.

In March, I had the honor of testifying before Congress on behalf of American Farm Bureau Federation and my fellow farmers and ranchers, to express concern and frustration with the new “waters of the United States” rule, known as WOTUS.

A second U.S. District Court ruling was made to halt the “waters of the United States” rule. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall called it a win for U.S. farmers.

It takes guts to spend almost 50 years fighting the federal government’s Clean Water Act and then claim its failure to overcome your decades-long foot-dragging and legal maneuvering has hurt your members.

A Florida Farm Bureau member, rancher, small business owner and environmental lawyer presented a firsthand account of the implications of the federal government’s overreach to the House Committee on Small Business.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its work plan for allocating funds provided in the fiscal year 2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.

Today, cattle producers across the United States face turbulent times. The return of longstanding issues like “waters of the United States” and new Endangered Species Act listings are just two examples.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new waters of the U.S. rule is a giant step in the wrong direction. Instead of making federal regulations more clear, the rule reinstates confusing standards that have already caused decades of uncertainty and litigation.

The U.S. Environmental Agency and Army Corps of Engineers announced a final rule establishing a definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.

Representatives from various agricultural group questioned the timing of the “waters of the U.S.” final rule and the lack of certainty.

Many Illinois farmers, including myself, are eagerly waiting to see how this year’s crop turns out. That’s the name of the game when it comes to farming: You make the best management decisions you can, learn from previous harvests and look to improve next year’s results.

Harvest of corn and soybeans in the U.S. Midwest is at full throttle, but whether — and how — those crops will make it to export markets has become a real concern for U.S. inland waterway authorities and shippers.

The new farm bill, conservation programs and regulations are among the areas the Illinois Farm Bureau has focused on in working on behalf of Prairie State farmers.

It’s been a historic year for the Illinois Corn Growers Association as it celebrated its 50th anniversary this past summer, and the organization continues advocating on behalf of farmers.