IL Corn Announces 2026 State and Federal Legislative Priorities

As ongoing economic pressures are facing Illinois farmers, IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is advocating for demand growth and family farm profitability. ICGA represents more than 50,000 Illinois farmers that grow more than 11 million acres of corn in Illinois and works to create a future for Illinois farmers to operate freely, responsibly, and successfully through grassroots advocacy.

“As corn farmers head into another year of economic downturn, advocacy becomes increasingly more important for agriculture. There are opportunities for our state and federal governments to grow demand for corn. It is the job of IL Corn Growers Association to identify, understand, and make these opportunities a reality,” said Illinois farmer and ICGA president Mark Bunselmeyer.

ICGA looks forward to pursuing the following priorities:

State

• Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Program
• ICGA supports the investment for existing fuel dispensing and tank infrastructure that needs upgrades to support higher blends of renewable fuels. The proposal awards grants from industry funds collected by the state. Some of these funds are left unused for intended purpose and thus redirected for overall state budget. This legislation would be used for grants matched by industry dollars to modernize and upgrade fueling infrastructure for cleaner biofuels.
• Support Family Farm Preservation Act
• ICGA supports the reforms to the Illinois Estate Tax and provide tax relief for Farm Families. Updates policy language to reflect modern farm estates and farm family descendants.
• Continued funding for NCERC & Expansion
• ICGA crafted the idea of the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) in 1996 and has supported the facility since its creation in 2003. ICGA prioritizes continued funding for NCERC in FY2025.
• State funding for NCERC expansion would increase the opportunities for research and development of corn to ethanol and ethanol to additional fermentation to bio-chemicals.
• Support additional funding for conservation programs
• ICGA supports programs that support Illinois’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS). ICGA supports targeted progress for NLRS.
• ICGA is invested in ensuring farming is sustainable and profitable for generations to come. As farmers feel the pressure from low commodity prices and high input costs, support for the implementation of conservation practices is needed.
• Issues we’re watching:
• Wetlands
• Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)
• Protect Carbon Capture & Sequestration enabling the opportunity to grow the rural agricultural industry

Federal

• Lock and Dam Funding
• ICGA supports dam features of inland waterways system Major Rehabilitation projects be excluded from cost-sharing with the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF).
• Farm Bill
• ICGA continues to advocate for a five-year farm bill after multiple extensions to the 2018 legislation. Our members’ top priorities include recalibrating crop insurance program and creating more flexibility in the United States Department of Agriculture’s conservation programs.
• ICGA supports a mandatory base acre update to preserve a level playing field for farmers across the U.S.
• ICGA supports a strong, bipartisan coalition for farm and food policy.
• Renewable Fuels
• ICGA supports high octane fuel legislation to allow higher blends of ethanol in the marketplace.
• ICGA supports policy to strengthen the usage of biofuels in offroad transportation sectors, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and maritime.
• Enforceable Trade Deals
• ICGA supports the development and implementation of comprehensive, enforceable trade deals. Within those deals, ICGA supports the furthering of science- and risk-based decision-making, enhancing meaningful market access, and lowering of non-tariff trade barriers.