Delegates to the 2024 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting considered and adopted new policy on a variety of topics including energy, soil conservation, apiculture, and more.

Members gathered at the Palmer House in Chicago Dec. 7-9 to celebrate the year’s successes and introduce new policies that will guide the organization over the next year.

In total, 331 voting delegates members debated and approved 20 policy submittals, including continued support prohibiting the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipeline projects.

Other policy highlights include:

• Wildlife policy changes focused on nuisance deer management. The policy encourages creating a different system for tracking deer populations, year-round usage of Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) issued permits and extending late doe/deer hunting season through February while encouraging harvested meat to be donated to local food pantries.
• Expansion of policy on apiculture. Changes include support for the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) being the entity to administer the laws and regulations regarding the care of apiculture. Support for U.S. EPA being the sole regulator to ensure continuity of migratory beekeeping across the U.S. And opposition to state beekeeping inspectors selling live honeybees and/or queens to local beekeepers.
• New language to IFB’s Utilities and Pipelines, including support for declaring stored carbon dioxide that moves into pore space located within the property lines of a property without an agreement for carbon dioxide storage to be considered a trespass. Support for allowing property owners to access digital utility maps upon requesting utility line location services, to ensure transparency and safety during property management activities. And support for fair and just compensation for non-consenting landowners for CO2 pipelines and sequestration.
• New policy opposing foreign ownership of farmland in Illinois by a foreign government, government officials, political parties and their members, government agencies, entities representing government interests or corporations and businesses under foreign government control.
• Delegates also adopted a change to IFB’s policy on farmland ownership in support of encouraging the leasing and renting of U.S. farm ground to foreign agriculture companies for research rather than selling. This is to be able to closely monitor the type of research they are doing.

Approximately 1,780 IFB members and staff registered to attend the conference in which members celebrated individual and organizational achievements in 2024.

Additionally, four new members to serve two-year terms on the IFB Board of Directors:

• Randy Aberle, Ford County, will represent District 6, which includes Kankakee, Livingston, Iroquois and Ford Counties.
• Barry Fisher, of Fulton County, will represent District 8, which includes Knox, Warren, Henderson, Peoria and Fulton Counties.
• Mark Hortin, of Champaign County, will represent District 12, which includes Vermilion, Champaign, Douglas and Edgar Counties.
• Steve Hosselton, of Clay County, will represent District 14, which includes Montgomery, Fayette, Effingham, Bond, Marion and Clay Counties.

McLean County Farm Bureau members had the chance to visit with elected officials including State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason), State Representative Jason Bunting (R-Emington), State Representative Sharon Chung (D-Bloomington), State Representative-elect Regan Deering (R-Decatur) and State Representative Bill Hauter (R-Morton).