{"id":44100,"date":"2026-08-12T11:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=44100"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:00:20","slug":"us-senate-candidates-pledge-support-for-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44100-us-senate-candidates-pledge-support-for-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"US Senate Candidates Pledge Support for Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek<\/p>\n

Both candidates for Illinois\u2019 open seat in the U.S. Senate pledged their support for agriculture, including some key priorities of Illinois Farm Bureau, during the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable Candidate Forum at the historic Funk Farms in Shirley (McLean County) Aug. 10.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy discussed everything from the farm economy and the farm bill to year-round availability of E15 at the event. The Democratic candidate and current Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton was unable to attend the event due to a prior commitment. IFB President Philip Nelson read a statement from her team to attendees of the forum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Don Tracy (photo by Catrina Rawson)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Standing on the historic farm where key crop genetic research took place for generations, Tracy, senior counsel for Brown, Hay and Stephens law firm in Springfield and former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, took aim at current economic challenges in his opening comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe have some of the most productive farms here in Illinois,\u201d said Tracy, who grew up in Mt. Sterling (Brown County) with many ties to the ag community. \u201cWhat they need from Washington is certainty, access to markets, reasonable rules and protection of their property rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And it should start with a new farm bill, according to Tracy. The GOP-backed Senate farm bill failed in committee earlier this month, which presents a major hurdle in getting legislation passed before the current legislation expires Sept. 30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cInput costs have gone up significantly the past few years and commodity prices have not kept pace,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cMeanwhile, D.C. has spent years operating under extensions of the farm bill written for a different ag economy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ll support a farm bill that protects crop insurance, provides a meaningful farm safety net and gives farmers more certainty about making decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of Tracy\u2019s other top priorities is expanding markets for ag products both domestically and abroad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Measures to boost ag markets include increasing global trade and expanding the use of ethanol nationwide, including through permanent, year-round use of E15, according to Tracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIllinois grows corn and America needs energy,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why Washington turned that into a complicated question. We shouldn\u2019t have to wait for an EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) waiver (for E15 use) every summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Other priorities for Tracy include maintaining and improving infrastructure to efficiently transport ag products and looking for ways to help lower fertilizer costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Juliana Stratton<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Meanwhile, Stratton\u2019s statement to attendees at the forum wasn\u2019t as specific, but pointed to general support of the ag industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cLt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has been a strong advocate for Illinois\u2019 farms and farmers, having served the entire state for the past seven years and chairing the Governor\u2019s Rural Affairs Council,\u201d the statement noted. \u201cShe will continue to be a partner to the agriculture industry in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The winner of the Nov. 3 election will replace Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, who will retire at the end of his term Jan. 3, 2027, concluding a 44-year career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek Both candidates for Illinois\u2019 open seat in the U.S. Senate pledged their support for agriculture, including some key priorities of Illinois Farm Bureau, during the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUS Senate Candidates Pledge Support for Agriculture - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44100-us-senate-candidates-pledge-support-for-agriculture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Senate Candidates Pledge Support for Agriculture - 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