Farm Bill

Brian Duncan took a minute before he stepped to the podium. His title was just a few hours old when he was introduced to media as “the president of Illinois Farm Bureau, Brian Duncan.”

With a look back at successes and a look forward at the changing face of the Illinois Farm Bureau membership and a list of thank-yous “a country mile long,” Richard Guebert Jr. gave his last President’s Address.

For the immediate past president of Illinois Farm Bureau, there is no fear that he won’t have enough to do, after retiring from the leadership of the state’s largest farmer membership organization.

Congress passed a continuing resolution to extend the 2018 farm bill until Sept. 30, 2024. The extension was bundled with a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through early 2024.

Growing up, some of my fondest memories revolved around working on our cattle ranch alongside my father and grandfather. The satisfaction of a successful day’s work still resonates with me today.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, some will be traveling a few miles down the road to gather with family and friends. Others may travel a few thousand miles.

The cost of purchasing a turkey could be lower this Thanksgiving, thanks to a drop in avian influenza cases and a recovery of the turkey population in the United States.

I still remember the day my father announced to the family that he had bought several cows and that we were now in the dairy business. We milked those cows twice a day, and I can tell you we didn’t always look forward to the work.

As difficult as it was for House Republicans to find an electable leader, that rough start was the easy part. Ahead lies governing and it promises to be tricky.

The combination of high interest rates and a strong U.S. dollar is beginning to take a disproportionate toll on rural industries like agriculture, forest products, mining and manufacturing.

We pause as a nation to express our heartfelt gratitude to our veterans. It never quite feels like enough, however, compared to all these men and women have sacrificed in service to our country.

The Speaker will have less than a month to push through a workable federal budget and — at the very least — extend the now-expired 2018 farm bill through the end of the year, if not through all of 2024.

The farm bill expired Sept. 30 and without an extension or new legislation, farm programs would revert back to laws passed about 80 years ago.

When it comes to the farm bill, every entity involved with the legislation has a different perspective. For state departments of agriculture, which are charged with administering some — but not all — parts of the farm bill, the legislation can bring confusion.

This has been a tough year. Rain did not come at the right times. When you couple that with declining crop prices, rising interest rates and increasing cost of inputs, things sure are tough on the farm.