Rural health care, direct market food assistance programs, and agricultural land use reduction requirements were among the topics discussed at the Illinois Farm Bureau Resolutions Committee’s Nov. 8 meeting.
The 18 county Farm Bureau commissioners who serve on the commission met in Bloomington to consider more than 20 policy proposals submitted by 14 different county Farm Bureaus as part of IFB’s grassroots policy process.
Ultimately, the Resolutions Committee recommended five submissions from the State and Local Government Subcommittee and two submissions from the Agricultural Production and National Affairs Subcommittee for final discussion at the annual meeting. It was decided to send it to the representative.
state and local governments
The State and Local Government Subcommittee, led by Cook County Farm Bureau Director Janet McCabe, passed three rural health proposals submitted by the Lee County Farm Bureau.
Subcommittee members discussed an initial proposal to expand the current IFB policy, which supports limited resources for “family physicians” practicing in rural areas. The proposal borrows the word “family” from the policy of supporting doctors who choose to practice in rural areas.
Subcommittee members promoted policies to support funding invested in rural hospitals and early childhood hospitals. The proposal comes after the Lee County Farm Bureau met with sponsoring members, state Rep. Jennifer Gon Gershowitz, D-Glenview, and CEOs of local hospitals to discuss local health care issues. .
During Adopt-A-Legislator’s visit, the group discussed the challenges of updating infrastructure, equipment, and software due to limited financial resources.
The group also discussed the type of facility known as a “tweener hospital.” That is, hospitals with more than 25 beds are too large to be considered critical access hospitals, but those with fewer than 275 beds are too small to be considered. Rural referral center. Tweener facilities do not have full access to the Medicare hospital-based payment program and are primarily located in rural areas.
This policy proposal supports using capital funds from existing taxes to improve the conditions of rural and tweener hospitals.
“Hospitals across the state are struggling, but local hospitals will also be struggling as COVID-19 funding dries up,” McCabe told Farm Week.
McCabe said investments in health care can help close the gaps communities face in access to all types of care, including maternal and child health, mental health and preventive services.
The subcommittee updates current IFB policy to support a market-oriented health care delivery system, rather than using specific language that refers to the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). We advanced the proposal. This was done in response to multiple court rulings that upheld the constitutionality of the ACA and to keep the policy book up to date.
The Lee County Farm Bureau also proposed a policy that would reduce the amount of acreage required to register as an agricultural district. Current state law requires at least 350 acres of contiguous land for populations of less than 600,000 people and 100 acres for concentrated populations of 600,000 or more.
This submission would add language to existing IFB policies that support farmland conservation. The committee passed the submission, emphasizing that agricultural district registration is a voluntary initiative and must be approved by the local county commission.
“I agree that we said we would reduce the amount because this is a voluntary program and it would be subject to county approval, but it’s up to the counties to decide,” McCabe said. “We’ve learned over the years that locking ourselves into a particular number ties lobbyists’ hands, but in the more general case…we can afford that.”
A Madison County Farm Bureau submission supporting “programs, grants, and legislation to improve direct-to-consumer market opportunities for specialty growers and livestock producers” was moving forward, but policy differences It has been fine-tuned to be included in the section.
In the original proposal, the new policy would be added to government-supported programs, but after consultation with IFB staff, the proposal was changed to a direct option to avoid being tied to nutrition assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Changed to include food marketing.
The filing comes as funds currently flow to wholesale markets, food banks and farmers’ markets rather than directly to local producers, in an effort to take advantage of federal grants that promote access to local food. , refers to the problems faced by specialized producers.
• Clinton County’s submission opposing the requirement to use speed regulators on commercial motor vehicles was not included due to existing American Farm Bureau Federation policy.
• A submission by Calhoun County to allow ATVs on state highways was not included due to concerns that the state would require permits similar to Wisconsin, increasing costs for producers.
• A submission from Douglas County related to the election is not included because it violates existing state law, limits the IFB’s lobbying powers in the future, and is not an agricultural issue.
• A submission from Sangamon County opposing government-issued digital currency is not included because it is not an agricultural issue.
Agricultural production and national issues
The Agricultural Production and National Affairs Subcommittee approved two of the four proposals submitted with amendments.
The Carroll County Farm Bureau submitted a proposal to address the USDA crop report, suggesting that the report should be released when no transactions are taking place, such as Monday’s crop report.
The subcommittee amended the proposal to specify that grain markets do not impact livestock trading to account for current market trading windows, and to shorten the reporting window to a mandatory morning break period. did.
The LaSalle County Farm Bureau has submitted a proposal to address loans for new farmers and ranchers through the USDA. The proposal came after a district Young Leaders discussion where the county president encouraged the group to develop a policy resolution.
The group determined that addressing loan access for new farmers would make it easier for young farmers to apply and be successful in the program. The proposal was amended to include language that supports removing the government’s ability to cancel loans once producers are able to obtain them elsewhere.
The revised submissions include a six-month loan pre-approval option, expanded eligibility requirements, recognition of cost increases when determining loan amounts, assistance with filling out applications, and increased program availability through podcasts, training, and seminars. Supports advertising.
• Wayne County’s proposal to limit the frequency of National Agricultural Statistics Service surveys was not included after the commission waited for a vote at its August meeting to gather more information. The Committee believes that USDA needs up-to-date information and that limiting the frequency of surveys would have a negative impact on farmers and their understanding of prices and markets.
• Clinton County’s proposal to require country of origin labeling was not included because the commission determined it would be too difficult to determine country of origin.
