Illinois Corn Growers Association

Garrett Hawkins, a Waterloo farmer, was elected president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association for 2024-2025 at its recent reorganizational meeting.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association’s 2024 Excellence in Media Award was presented to Jim Taylor, a reporter on the RFD Radio Network, at the ICGA annual meeting.

The legacy of Mike Plumer’s soil conservation work continues to live on through those he taught.

Cade Bushnell received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management program.

The general manager of locally-owned ethanol plant was the recipient of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s Ethanol Award.

George Obernagel of Waterloo was the recipient of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s top award, The World of Corn.

Participation in the Precision Conservation Management program continues to grow and farmers can still sign up for the 2024 crop year, as well as 2025.

With the farm bill, Next Generation Fuels Act and global trade discussions on the table in Congress, now is the time for farmers to make their voices heard.

Working one-on-one with farmers and seeing positive changes across the landscape is what drives Aidan Walton. Walton has served farmers as a Precision Conservation Management specialist since 2021.

Richard Lyons of Harvel is the recipient of the 2024 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2024. The Senate’s version of the bill includes provisions for lock and dam improvement along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

Corn farmers and the ethanol industry were recognized by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and United Airlines as a sustainable partner in lowering the aviation industry’s carbon footprint.

As he walked to the stage to collect the Corn Advocate of the Year award, Tim Thompson looked genuinely shocked. His mouth fell open, and his eyes widened.

Three central Illinois farm families were honored for their conservation agriculture efforts.

The poultry and egg domestic and export markets have a major impact on corn and soybean prices received on the farm.

Nine years of data analysis from Illinois farms found the most profitable acres were one-pass light tillage for corn and no-till soybeans.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association joined 12 other state corn organizations to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for its inequitable and costly electrification of America’s vehicle fleet.

With multiple corporations targeting Illinois for underground carbon storage and the pipelines that go along with it, the General Assembly passed the Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act.

Eliminating the information gap to help agriculture voluntarily meet the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy goals has been a top priority for the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership.

Legislation that has bipartisan support in the Illinois General Assembly and from diverse groups was introduced this spring and awaits votes in each chamber.

The farm-to-port export chain from Illinois to Oregon and beyond was the focus of a recent tour for 12 South Koreans hosted by Kansas State University’s International Grains Program.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency waiver to allow fuel made with 15% plant-based bioethanol to be sold during the summer.

The announcement of guidance on eligibility for the sustainable aviation fuel tax credit was met with both concern and optimism.

Corn growers are positioned to meet the needs of the sustainable aviation fuel industry, but hurdles remain.

Illinois has the resources to play an important role in the development of sustainable aviation fuel.

Ethanol can be used for many things in addition to fuel.

The benefits of enrolling in the Precision Conservation Management program were touted during a recent “Toolshed Talk.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized new emissions regulations that will apply to cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles starting with the 2027 model year, but does not eliminate gas vehicles.

A coalition of business, labor and agriculture groups have united behind legislation that would provide a regulatory framework to advance carbon capture and storage projects in Illinois.

Over the past two decades, a Livingston County farmer traveled to the capitol to meet with legislators and advocate for agriculture.

The summertime ban on gasoline blended with 15% ethanol has been lifted in eight Midwest states, effective in April 2025.

The Illinois Pork Producers Association is leading a call to members of the Illinois congressional delegation for a legislative remedy to state-by-state livestock production requirements.

Illinois farmers can receive incentive payments for cover crops planted in 2023 by enrolling in Farmers for Soil Health by Feb. 28.

The second annual Illinois Ag Retail Survey is underway to collect data on nutrient management practices.

Farm, aviation and biofuel groups voiced support for a science-based approach to measure greenhouse gas emission reductions in Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

The new farm bill can got kicked down the road last month with a one-year extension of the 2018 law, but Illinois Corn remains diligent in pushing for new legislation sooner rather than later.

The 2025 interim goals set by the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy are fast-approaching, but the numbers needed are still not there.

Illinois Farm Families’ “We Are the 96%” campaign will resume paid advertising opportunities in January and February, concluding with a Super Bowl commercial for Illinois audiences on Feb. 11.

National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle outlined the organization’s efforts at the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s recent annual meeting.

About 36.4 million tons of food and food products, including corn and soybeans, are shipped annually via Illinois waterways and are dependent upon locks and dams that were built in the 1930s.

For 150 of Knox County’s 198-year history, Dave Rylander and his ancestors before him have been farming in this west-central Illinois locale.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association honored several individuals for their roles in supporting farmers and the industry during the organization’s annual meeting.

Martin Barbre is the recipient of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s top award, The World of Corn. ICGA leaders honored Martin for his service to Illinois corn farmers at ICGA’s annual meeting in Bloomington.

When Ralph Upton Jr. started working on his family’s farm full time in 1964, he did what everyone else was doing — plowing every year.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association thanked Rich Clemmons for over four decades of work representing agriculture in Illinois policy. Clemmons announced his retirement after supporting ICGA as a lobbyist since 2008.

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.

Ted Mottaz was fresh out of college and all set for a career in agriculture education, but Uncle Sam had other ideas.

Chris Gould started harvest combining his Plenish beans and is pleased with the results for the first time he has grown the high oleic soybean variety.

Ethanol has been the bread and butter of the corn industry since the Renewable Fuel Standard was created in 2005, but the winds of change are on the horizon.

During the Farm Progress Show, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski stood alongside farmers and biofuels experts to confirm ethanol’s role in lowering carbon and supporting rural economies.