BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — One of the state’s most vocal advocates on behalf of growers and farmers during the past two decades became the first “Farmer of the Year Award” recipient recently, an award started this year by U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk.

Philip Nelson, the former president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, these days is back full-time doing what he always has loved, growing grain and raising livestock on his farm near the northern Illinois town of Seneca.

Nelson served as IFB president from 2003 to 2013. Before he stepped down last year, Nelson talked about his love for agriculture during his last address at the IFB’s annual conference in Chicago.

“I’ve always been passionate about agriculture. At its core, it is about providing for mankind,” Nelson said.

It is primarily because of that passion for the industry that Kirk selected Nelson for his first annual award.

“As a fourth generation grain and livestock farmer, Philip always took a personal approach to his work on behalf of Illinois farmers,” Kirk said.

“It was this approach that I appreciated most about Philip in his 10 years as president of the Illinois Farm Bureau. Because of this, Philip has served as one of my most trusted advisers on agricultural issues.”

When he was sworn in to take over for Nelson, new IFB president Richard Guebert Jr. said Nelson “has been relentless in representing the interests of Illinois farmers, a true advocate for Illinois agriculture.”

Kirk also noted that Nelson worked hard on the policy front to help all farmers across the Midwest.

“To Philip, agriculture is not just the largest industry in Illinois, it is the engine that drives local economies and puts food on the plate of families throughout Illinois,” Kirk said. “Throughout his career, Philip has supported Illinois farmers through his work to strengthen crop insurance in the farm bill, update aging U.S. transportation infrastructure, identify unnecessary and burdensome regulations that hurt farmers and the agriculture industry and much, much more.”