Illinois ag advocates say ‘lawmakers showed up for farmers’

Jun 08, 2023

For the most part, Illinois agricultural leaders are pleased with the $50.5 billion Illinois budget with its 550 pieces of legislation that landed on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk after the end of the spring session on May 27.

Lawmakers left out some legislation livestock farmers wanted left out. They agreed on legislation local food advocates wanted. But with a last-minute amendment, they may see a bill on landowner property rights get vetoed by the governor.

The Illinois Farm Bureau advocated for landowners’ rights when it comes to renewable energy projects on farmland. The goal is for farmers to be fairly compensated for impacts to drainage and their operations caused by solar and wind energy projects, says Mark Gebhards, IFB’s director of government affairs and commodities.

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies