IL Corn Joins Over 300 Ag Groups in Washington to Advocate for New Farm Bill

Sep 13, 2024

By Haley Bickelhaupt

With Congress back in session, farmers and association leaders advocated for a farm bill, this week, in Washington D.C.

On Monday, over 300 agricultural groups sent a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting new legislation by the end of the year. The current farm bill expires September 30, 2024, and an extension is being negotiated. However, approaching elections have created road blocks, heightening political dynamics and increasing partisan divides.

To raise awareness for a farm bill, IL Corn participated in the National Corn Growers Association September fly-in and met with members of the House Agriculture Committee. The groups highlighted the importance of the bill considering economic struggles farmers are facing in the Midwest.

“It is critical that Congress pass a new farm bill that strengthens the safety net as many producers are facing multiple years of not being profitable and this is causing their overall financial situation to deteriorate,” the letter said.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.