Ease Economic Pressure on Family Farms and Rural Communities
- Rising input costs and long-term market consolidation continue to strain small and mid-sized family farms, forcing some to exit agriculture and weakening rural communities.
- Legislative solution: Strengthen antitrust enforcement in agriculture and limit excessive market concentration among seed, fertilizer, and meatpacking corporations.
- Many family farms have exited agriculture over the past several decades, reducing local economic activity and opportunity in rural areas.
- Legislative solution: Expand federal grant and low-interest loan programs targeted specifically to small and mid-sized family farms to support transitions and modernization.
- Across Illinois’ 15th Congressional District—made up largely of rural counties with strong corn, soybean, and livestock production—these pressures have contributed to population decline and fewer opportunities for young people to remain in agriculture or secure good local jobs after school.
- Legislative solution: Create a rural jobs and beginning farmer tax credit to support new farmers, apprenticeships, and rural small businesses in the district.
Federal Farm Policy and Conservation Programs
- Farm Bill–authorized programs provide financial and technical support to help farms remain viable while improving soil, water, and natural resources.
- Legislative solution: Increase mandatory funding for conservation programs in the Farm Bill to ensure stable, long-term support.
- USDA conservation programs such as EQIP, CSP, CRP, ACEP, and RCPP help farmers and landowners manage risk and invest in long-term land stewardship.
- Legislative solution: Simplify USDA conservation program applications and reserve a fair share of funding specifically for small, mid-sized, and family-operated farms.
- EQIP and CSP are particularly important in the 15th District, where large acreages of row crops make cost-share assistance critical for adopting conservation practices while maintaining farm income.
- Legislative solution: Increase EQIP and CSP cost-share rates for high-impact conservation practices on working lands.
Conservation Practices and Water Quality Improvements
- Nutrient management, nitrate reduction strategies and best practices help limit runoff into waterways across the 15th District that feed the Illinois, Kaskaskia, Wabash, and Mississippi River systems.
- Legislative solution: Establish dedicated federal funding for watershed-based nitrate reduction programs tied to measurable water quality outcomes.
- Crop rotation and reduced tillage improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and lower long-term fertilizer needs on highly productive farmland throughout the district.
- Legislative solution: Expand per-acre incentive payments for diversified crop rotations and reduced tillage systems through EQIP and CSP.
- Federally supported conservation practices allow farmers in the 15th District to maintain high yields while protecting local water supplies and downstream communities.
- Legislative solution: Create a federal pay-for-performance conservation model that rewards farmers for verified environmental results, not just practice adoption.
Financial Stability and Risk Management
- Assistance with distressed loans helps farmers keep land in production and pass it on to the next generation, which is essential for multigenerational farms across the district.
- Legislative solution: Expand USDA loan restructuring and mediation programs and protect family farms from predatory foreclosure practices.
- Expanded crop insurance options and support for diversified crops and practices help producers manage weather volatility and fluctuating commodity prices.
- Legislative solution: Modernize crop insurance to better reward diversified operations.
- Efforts to increase domestic fertilizer supply and improve competition in agricultural input markets help ease cost pressures for farmers in the 15th District.
- Legislative solution: Require transparent pricing and give regulators authority to hold large agribusiness corporations accountable when they dramatically increase the cost of seed, fertilizer, and chemicals.
Workforce, Local Markets, and Food System Resilience
- Local independent meat and poultry processing strengthens local and regional markets, provides jobs and keeps more agricultural value within the district.
- Legislative solution: Expand grants and loan guarantees for small and independent processors to build regional processing capacity.
- Stronger labor, safety, and environmental protections support farmworkers and processing employees who are vital to the district’s agricultural economy.
- Legislative solution: Enact national standards for overtime pay, heat protection, and pesticide safety for agricultural workers.
- Keeping farmland locally owned and operated while encouraging local investment helps protect farmland, strengthen food security, and keep Illinois’ 15th District agriculturally productive for future generations.
- Legislative solution: Limit speculative and foreign ownership of farmland while expanding support for community land trusts and cooperative ownership models.
