Congratulations Jim Raben, 2022 Master Farmer and Corn Farmer from Ridgway

March 1, 2022
A man wearing a brown leather jacket and a white shirt is smiling in front of a brick wall.

Congratulations to Jim Raben, 2016-17 IL Corn Marketing Board Chairman, on being named a 2022 Prairie Farmer Master Farmer.

 

Darryl Brinkmann of Clinton County, Doug Schroeder of Champaign County, and Curt Zehr of Tazewell County rounded out the team of four recognized Illinois farmers. All are members of the IL Corn Growers Association and recognized leaders of our industry.

 

In addition to ICMB Chairman, Raben also served as the U.S. Grains Council Chairman in 2021 and was recognized for his service in February at the group’s meeting in South Carolina.

 

“I have had a big year!” said Raben excitedly. “I am so proud to be standing with other Illinois farmer leaders and I know that their passion for our industry matches my own. It’s an honor to be recognized in this way.”

“The Master Farmer award is Illinois agriculture’s lifetime achievement award,” says Holly Spangler, Prairie Farmer editor. “These farmers are at the top of their game, and they’ve received this award because they raise good crops and even better families, and they’ve built their communities along the way.”

 

Prairie Farmer first offered the Master Farmer award 97 years ago, in 1925. Editors have continued the tradition annually since 1968, following a pause initially caused by the Depression. When Editor Clifford Gregory established the Master Farmer program, he felt the award would help give farm people a greater sense of “pride and permanence.” Nearly 350 Illinois producers have been inducted as Master Farmers or Honorary Master Farmers over the program’s history.

 

Candidates are nominated by farmers, neighbors, agribusiness leaders and farm organizations throughout the state. Judges for the 2022 awards were Karen Corrigan, McGillicuddy Corrigan Agronomics; Ed McMillan, former University of Illinois board of trustees; Linnea Kooistra, 2011 Master Farmer; Dwight Raab, First Midwest Bank agribusiness vice president; Steve Carson, Farm Credit Illinois; and Holly Spangler, Prairie Farmer editor.

< Older Post

 Newer Post >
Four people posing in front of the U.S. Capitol at sunset

GROWing the Next Generation

By Lyndi Allen • November 5, 2026
IL Corn's GrassRoots Orientation to Washington, D.C. program allows Illinois farmers and agricultural professionals to see firsthand how agricultural policy is shaped.
U.S. Capitol building at sunrise, viewed from a low angle with a yellow road line leading toward it

Election Results Set the Stage for IL Corn's Work Ahead

By Brad Stotler and Lyndi Allen • November 5, 2026
Illinois voters delivered decisive victories for Democrats across the state, expanding the party’s supermajorities in the General Assembly and electing a new U.S. Senator.
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center

Did You Miss These? Corn's Top October Stories

By Tara Desmond • November 5, 2026
Fall Nitrogen, President Trump, New Corn uses expansion and more - check out October corn news you missed.
advertisement of we are 96 at an outdoor event

Chicagoland Parents Know Farmers Better Than They Did Five Years Ago

By Tara Desmond & Brownfield Ag • November 5, 2026
New Illinois Farm Families research shows consumer recognition up 10 points since 2021, with farmers still ranked the most trusted profession.
Award winners from 2025 ICGA Annual Meeting

ICGA Annual Meeting: November 24 in Bloomington, IL

By Lindsay Croke • October 30, 2026
IL Corn's Annual Meeting to be Held 11/24
collin and jared

How IL Corn’s FFA Partnership Is Building the Next Generation of Ag Advocates

By Brownfield & Tara • October 29, 2026
Illinois FFA State VP Collin Johnson shares how the IL Corn checkoff partnership builds the next generation of ag advocates.
Show More