{"id":44102,"date":"2026-08-12T11:11:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=44102"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:13:18","slug":"pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#8217;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"summary-box-gray\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"Summary Box\">\n<h3>by Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois<\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Article Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>JB Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey participated in a candidate forum about agriculture policy on Monday on an Illinois farm.<\/li>\n<li>Bailey argued he\u2019s the best candidate to represent farmers because he\u2019s one of them and said that many farmers are struggling under the weight of high taxes in Illinois.<\/li>\n<li>Pritzker said that though he\u2019s not a farmer, the economic development policies he\u2019s implemented as governor make him the best-positioned candidate to address their concerns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>SHIRLEY, Ill. \u2014 Illinois farmers heard pitches from incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker and downstate Republican farmer Darren Bailey on Monday as each argued they\u2019re best positioned to address agricultural issues.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey, a former state lawmaker who was also his party\u2019s nominee for governor in 2022, told the crowd at the candidate forum \u2014 hosted by the Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable on a farm south of Bloomington \u2014 that he speaks their language and best understands the challenges they face.<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker, the two-term Democratic governor with a business background who owns horse farms in Wisconsin and Florida, argued his governing record shows he\u2019s been a better friend to farmers than Bailey\u2019s party, which must answer for price hikes caused by President Donald Trump\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have everything that we need; we are just lacking leadership,\u201d Bailey said, pledging to be a \u201cspokesman\u201d for farmers as governor.<\/p>\n<p>But Bailey\u2019s record doesn\u2019t show he can deliver results for farmers, Pritzker argued to reporters following the forum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDarren Bailey hasn\u2019t done anything for farms,\u201d Pritzker said. \u201cHe passed two bills when he was in the state legislature and they had nothing to do with farms. And he doesn\u2019t have a proposal for anybody that makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both candidates spoke to farmers each for nearly an hour and did not cross paths. Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson moderated the event.<\/p>\n<p>In a nearly 20-minute stump speech before taking moderated questions, Pritzker leaned heavily on his overall governing record, citing broad economic development achievements as evidence he is a good governor for farmers. He also tried to level with the audience about his agricultural knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKnow what you don\u2019t know and be willing to ask for help from people who are smarter than you are,\u201d Pritzker told the crowd. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why about six years ago, I hired Jerry Costello as the director of the Department of Agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Estate tax<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Both candidates agreed that Illinois needs to reform the estate tax. The issue has long been a top priority for the state\u2019s farmers, who say taxes are strangling farming families and making it harder for new generations to continue the business. Right now, a deceased farmer\u2019s family is required to pay taxes on the whole estate if it\u2019s valued above $4 million.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey said the state\u2019s tax rate should at least match the federal exemption of $30 million for families. He got emotional describing how families struggle to keep farms alive when the primary owner passes away and surviving family members must pay taxes on the estate. He said the state\u2019s current policies are driving farmers out of Illinois.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?quality=89&amp;ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-128703\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?w=1140&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=750%2C499&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 750w\" alt=\"JB Pritzker\" width=\"1140\" height=\"758\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-attachment-id=\"128703\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-for-agriculture\/260810-pritzker-farm-bs\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?fit=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1140,758\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;JB Pritzker&lt;\/p&gt; \" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a candidate forum on agriculture issues at a farm near Bloomington on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Ben Szalinski)&lt;\/p&gt; \" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?fit=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-pin-no-hover=\"true\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a candidate forum on agriculture issues at a farm near Bloomington on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Ben Szalinski)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u201cThinking back to my son, Zach \u2014 I have a son that was killed \u2014 he was in the process of moving to Florida or Texas potentially,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cThey were looking into that because of the hardships that Illinois is bringing on business, on the farm, on the schools, on our families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker said he supports a bill with bipartisan support in the General Assembly called the Family Farm Preservation Act, which would exempt the first $6 million of any estate meeting farm property qualifications from being taxed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s time for us to make sure that farmers can hand their farms down through the generations as they have been for many generations up to now with less tax on that transfer,\u201d Pritzker said.<\/p>\n<p>Estate tax revenue increased by 44% in fiscal year 2026 and was a key driver of revenue growth for the year, according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cgfa.ilga.gov\/Upload\/0626%20Monthly.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Data centers and energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>How to regulate data centers was also a hot topic at the forum, with many farmers concerned about rising utility prices, water usage and how much land the expansive facilities occupy.<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker pledged to \u201chold their feet to the fire\u201d and make sure data centers are supplying their own water and electricity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we want, I think importantly, is for local governments \u2026 to make their own decisions about whether they want to have a data center located there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey said Pritzker has pushed \u201ctoo fast\u201d for a transition to clean energy and should\u2019ve foreseen earlier how much power data centers were going to require. He also said the state should end its ban on new coal and natural gas plants to help deal with the utility problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTime is running out,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cThis is part of what\u2019s leading to businesses moving out of Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Working with Washington<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As the candidates debated agricultural issues, Pritzker blamed many problems on Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout a farm bill, without FEMA dollars or a cessation of international hostilities, a divided Washington is hanging our farm communities out to dry,\u201d Pritzker said.<\/p>\n<p>Bailey is a supporter of Trump and defended the president\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do believe that these tariffs that are imposed \u2026 (are) a short-term pain for a long-term gain, and I believe it\u2019s the only tool that we have to be competitive again,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n<p>Pritzker countered the state can help farmers dealing with the pain of rising costs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cState government can\u2019t do a lot about stopping a hot war in Iran or trade wars with the rest of the world,\u201d Pritzker said. \u201cWhat we can do is help our farmers with things like promoting new ag trade, fixing rural roads and bridges and river ports, expanding agricultural education, attracting more food processors, investing in our rural communities and making it easier to do business in Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?quality=89&amp;ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-128701\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C804&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?w=1140&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=300%2C212&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=768%2C542&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=120%2C86&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 120w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=750%2C529&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 750w\" alt=\"Darren Bailey\" width=\"1140\" height=\"804\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-attachment-id=\"128701\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-for-agriculture\/260811-bailey-farm-bs\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?fit=1140%2C804&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1140,804\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Darren Bailey&lt;\/p&gt; \" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Republican Darren Bailey speaks at a candidate forum on agriculture issues at a farm near Bloomington on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Ben Szalinski)&lt;\/p&gt; \" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260811-BAILEY-FARM-BS.jpg?fit=1140%2C804&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-pin-no-hover=\"true\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Republican Darren Bailey speaks at a candidate forum on agriculture issues at a farm near Bloomington on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Ben Szalinski)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> by Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois Article Summary JB Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey participated in a candidate forum about agriculture policy on Monday on an Illinois farm. Bailey [&hellip;]<\/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":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#039;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;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\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#039;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-12T16:11:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-12T16:13:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Sapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Greg Sapp\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Greg Sapp\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1\"},\"headline\":\"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#8217;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-12T16:11:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T16:13:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1085,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/capitolnewsillinois.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/\",\"name\":\"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They're the Best Candidate for Agriculture - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/capitolnewsillinois.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-12T16:11:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T16:13:18+00:00\",\"description\":\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/capitolnewsillinois.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/capitolnewsillinois.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#8217;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/premier-logo-v1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/premier-logo-v1.png\",\"width\":272,\"height\":69,\"caption\":\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1\",\"name\":\"Greg Sapp\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/greg_sapp\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They're the Best Candidate for Agriculture - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","description":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They're the Best Candidate for Agriculture - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","og_description":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader","og_url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/","og_site_name":"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","article_published_time":"2026-08-12T16:11:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-12T16:13:18+00:00","author":"Greg Sapp","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Greg Sapp","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/"},"author":{"name":"Greg Sapp","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1"},"headline":"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#8217;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture","datePublished":"2026-08-12T16:11:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-12T16:13:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/"},"wordCount":1085,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/","name":"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They're the Best Candidate for Agriculture - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-08-12T16:11:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-12T16:13:18+00:00","description":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260810-PRITZKER-FARM-BS.jpg?resize=1140%2C758&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44102-pritzker-bailey-seek-to-convince-farmers-at-forum-theyre-the-best-candidate-for-agriculture\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pritzker, Bailey Seek to Convince Farmers at Forum They&#8217;re the Best Candidate for Agriculture"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/","name":"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/premier-logo-v1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/premier-logo-v1.png","width":272,"height":69,"caption":"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1","name":"Greg Sapp","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/author\/greg_sapp\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Greg Sapp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44102"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44105,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44102\/revisions\/44105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}