Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

I grew up in a rural, agricultural area and that is where I live today. In fact, I currently reside on 17 acres of ground just outside of Hutsonville, Illinois. I chose to raise my family in a farming community for several reasons. The rural lifestyle is what our country was founded on. The moral values and work ethic demonstrated by our rural farming communities is what helped to make America great.

Today, our farms and farmers face challenges that transcend generations. Some of the same issues that faced rural America and farmers over 100 years ago still face them today. When the crops are good, the prices are bad and when farmers do not have a product to sell due to a bad year, the prices are good. We have seen the average size of farms increase and the profit margin remain relatively the same. Fifty years ago, farmers received about the same amount for a bushel of grain that they do today. A loaf of bread that cost 10 cents fifty years ago now approaches $2.00 in many instances.

Farmers and the agriculture industry have become so productive that efficiency has actually been counterproductive in terms of profitability. How have farmers been rewarded for this increased productivity? Many have lost their farms or are unable to make a living without government subsidy programs. Worse yet, when farmers develop foreign markets for their products to increase demand and thus help support a good market price, we use their products for diplomatic purposes. Embargoes against marketing grain become a political pressure tactic. The farmer just continues on, working hard, long hours to feed an often ungrateful nation.

Our challenge in the 109th is to find new exciting and stable markets for the commodities that our farmers produce. It is difficult to discuss supporting agriculture in this district without mentioning the need to support the development of alternative fuels, such as ethanol. While prayer is of vital importance to our future, it is not enough to pray for rain. The agricultural economy of the 21st Century is in need of markets. It is up to us to not only to pray for those markets but to work hard to develop those markets by supporting legislation which will make them possible.

One potentially terrific market is in alternative fuels. I am once again introducing legislation to establish an Ethanol Board in Illinois. It is high time that we support the production of ethanol and other renewable fuels with a coordinated State effort. In addition, I am introducing several measures that will assist in the effort to market E-85 fuels. A full text of these proposals can be found under my bill listing on this home page.

We need to invest in rural Illinois and the wholesome lifestyle that exists here. I intend to work hard to make certain that new markets are supported by the Illinois legislature. The most important thing that we can do for our farmers is to add value to the products that they produce. Farmers that I have known in my school district and throughout the area are proud, independent, hard working individuals who are interested in good stable markets for the products they produce. If given a choice, our farmers would much rather have a stable market than a government subsidy.

We should also consider the possibility of using existing farm land to produce some non-traditional agricultural products that have a growing market. Southern Illinois wineries can certainly benefit from grapes, berries and other fruits grown right here in this region. I see potatoes, green beans and seed corn grown on some soils in this region. There is even the possibility of using some agricultural ground to grow trees and other nursery products. The ideas that many farmers have regarding the possible use of their ground need to be heard. Many have outstanding ideas about how we can produce needed products!

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