Agriculture Impact with the Illinois Farm Bureau
On episode #44 of the Building BN podcast, BNEDC CEO Patrick Hoban sits down to speak with Ryan Whitehouse—Associate Director of Local Government & Political Engagement—and Mike Doherty—Senior Economist and Policy Analyst—with the Illinois Farm Bureau.
The Illinois Farm Bureau, from their Facebook page, is a “grassroots membership organization made up of people who support farms, food, and families in Illinois.” Established in 1916 as the Illinois Agricultural Association, the non-profit organization was founded, according to Whitehouse, “for research, for economics, for trade, policy, for protection in Springfield, Illinois, protection in Washington, DC and protection at local governments ... and [to] provide many other programs along with that for training and education as well.” Their state mission, from their website, is: To improve the economic well-being of agriculture and enrich the quality of farm family life.
Agriculture is big business in Central Illinois and has a big impact on the local economy. Doherty explains that McLean County is “the largest county for corn and soybean production in the country in most years.” This is because, Doherty says, the county has “the best agro-climatic conditions for a corn and soybean rotation essentially in the world. So, it is Mclean County’s natural advantage.” McLean county currently has an estimated 1500 individual farm businesses, generating a market value of just under $400 million in crops each year. Related agricultural business generates an additional $70 million in sales of animal products. Together, these businesses support a total of approximately 6000 jobs in McLean County. This adds about $350,000,000 of household income to McLean County, as well as adding to the local tax base.
This natural advantage attracts numerous agricultural associations to the area, for either their headquarters, a satellite office, or to host annual meetings. These associations include the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Corn Marketing Board and Illinois Corn Growers Association, Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, and Illinois Milk Producers Association.
Listen to the podcast in its entirety here. For more information about the Illinois Farm Bureau, visit their website at www.ilfb.org. Contact Mike Doherty at 309-557-3268 or mdoherty@ilfb.org. Contact Ryan Whitehouse at 309-557-3929 or rwhitehouse@ilfb.org.
