By TIM ALEXANDER

Illinois Correspondent

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — If you ask Richard Guebert, Jr, the indefatigable president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, good times are just around the corner for those who work in the fields. Buoyed by recent price rallies for corn and soybeans and the hope for better trade deals, the southern Illinois farmer offered an optimistic outlook for growers during a recent exclusive interview for Farm World. 

“Last year during our annual meeting I was pretty optimistic about 2020. We had an agreement with Mexico and Japan, and then China (for trade) and thought things looked pretty good. Then March hit and COVID put us all on our heads,” Guebert recalled. “It was a tough year. A lot of mental and financial stress out in the countryside with the way prices were, and the livestock folks in general were taking it pretty hard. It didn’t look good even in the first week of August, but ever since then the commodity prices have rallied. I’m still pretty optimistic for 2021. I think we are learning to deal with COVID-19 and with three vaccines on the way, maybe we can get back to living somewhat normally.”

With corn futures prices currently over $4 per bushel and soybeans hovering at the $12 mark, USDA economists project near record-high farm income for 2020. While a good chunk of farmers’ 2020 income was derived from ad-hoc government relief programs, Guebert hopes continued higher prices and expanded trade opportunities will continue to buoy farm income through 2021. 

“$40 billion of that (2020) farm income was from government payments, which was desperately needed, whether it was MFP payments or CFAP dollars coming through the farm gate. It kept a number of farmers afloat. But we have said time and time again that we prefer to derive our revenue from the marketplace and I think there are some opportunities, if you look at the Biden administration coming in,” said Guebert.

Specifically, the IFB leader indicated he is hopeful the Biden administration will be able to break through previous barriers to successful trade agreements to forge new agreements that restore previous markets and provide new export opportunities for farmers and ranchers. 

“I hope that we will see some good times for both beef and pork. Pork is probably more cyclical than beef is, but I hope they can maintain their profitability and that they can keep their processing centers open. I hope that we don’t run into more issues where our producers cannot deliver to those facilities when livestock is ready,” he said. 

While it is the domain of the American Farm Bureau Federation to provide input and suggestions to the incoming Biden administration, the IFB will have a seat at the table through their communications with Illinois’ legislative party. Guebert noted that the state farm bureau office is already making inroads towards that goal. 

“We’ve had conversations with some of our Democratic friends, such as Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, Senator Dick Durbin and Senator (Tammy) Duckworth as well. We are just letting the dust settle a little bit and we will be reaching out after our annual meeting to continue those conversations,” said Guebert. “And we are very fortunate that Jonathan Coppess, of the University of Illinois and the Gardner Chair, is a part of the Biden transition team for agriculture. So we have a friend over in Champaign, Illinois who is on that team.”

Guebert said that while he expects climate change and its relation to agriculture to be a priority of the Biden administration, the farm bureau already has policy in place that should fall in line with the new president’s stated goals. “AFBF has joined a number of other national organizations in the (Food and Agriculture) Climate Alliance going forward, and wants to be at the table and be a part of the conversation going forward,” he said. “We are looking for ways that agriculture can participate, as far as having some incentives to continue doing what we’ve been doing with the use of cover crops, carbon sequestration and the like.”

Guebert noted that he would miss his four-year working relationship with current USDA Director Sonny Perdue, a President Donald Trump appointee, saying “He’s called me and we’ve had conversations time and time again about different issues that were important to Illinois agriculture.”

Back on the state level, Guebert praised the growth of Illinois’ specialty crops and meats sectors during the pandemic year. “When the governor put in place a stay-at-home order back in March, people started eating at home and really gained an interest in locally grown and locally raised food. That bar really got raised,” Guebert said. “Consumer awareness and interest (in locally-sourced foods) increased 69 percent in Illinois in the last eight months, and that tells the story that consumers care about who raises their food and what they are putting on their tables.”

Moving forward into 2021 Guebert offered a preview of IFB’s legislative priorities, which he spelled out in greater detail on Saturday, December 5 during the 106th annual IFB meeting, held virtually this year. 

“Priority initiatives for 2021 include continuing to build demand for Illinois crops and products. We want to continue to advocate for the farmer’s role in the supply chain, and we would like to continue to identify climate and conservation programs that benefit Illinois farmers through financial incentives. We are optimistic about recent rises in commodity prices and we want to see those continue. We want to continue our trade relationships around the world and continue to build our relationships on both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C. and Springfield,” said Guebert, before adding with a laugh: “That and handling any other football that gets thrown at us.”