October - November Highlights Annual Report

Tara Desmond
January 6, 2026
  • State-Level Advocacy: Tariff Hearing & Executive Order Signing
  • House Agriculture Chair Sonya Harper (D-Chicago) held a subject matter hearing on the impact of tariffs on Illinois’ farm economy, where IL Corn’s Director of Exports and Logistics, Collin Watters, testified alongside other commodity leaders and the Illinois Department of Agriculture. ICGA also attended Governor Pritzker’s signing of Executive Order 2025-07 on a Taylorville farm—an acknowledgment of the multi-year economic strain caused by trade disruptions, falling demand, and high input costs.
  • National Recognition as Expert Voices
  • This fall, ICGA staff and farmer leaders were featured speakers across major national and regional conferences, underscoring ICGA’s role as a leading voice on sustainability, biofuels, and farmer economics. ICGA participated in panels elevating Illinois corn farmers in national policy and climate-smart agriculture discussions.
  • Organizational Momentum at the ICGA Annual Meeting
  • New officers and directors were elected for 2025–2026, and ICGA honored leaders through the World of Corn Award and Media Award—reinforcing the organization’s strength, credibility, and member-driven leadership.
thumbnail Mark Lambert
By Tara Desmond March 26, 2026
IL Corn's Mark Lambert reflects on decades of ag communications from stealing the office computer to Captain Corn and DC Metro takeovers.
Oliver
By Tara Desmond March 26, 2026
Marine veteran Oliver Kragelund lost his foot in a grain bin accident in Illinois. Now he's turning that tragedy into a mission for agricultural safety.
Evan Marr, Dan Parker, Don Guinnip, Tim Thompson, Marty Marr at Illinois Capitol
By Lyndi Allen March 26, 2026
The 56th Annual Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day was held on Tuesday, March 24. ICGA leaders attended the event, then met with eight key legislators to discuss IL Corn’s priorities.
A red tractor with a large sprayer attachment moves through a field of green corn plants on a cloudy day.
By Lyndi Allen March 26, 2026
Ag Groups Urge Action on Phosphate Fertilizer Duties Impacting Farmers, filed a letter with the Department of Commerce and the nation's two largest fertilizer producers
A hand reaches for a gas pump nozzle at a station with fuel grade buttons labeled 87, 89, and 91.
By Lyndi Allen March 26, 2026
The U.S. EPA announced on March 25, 2026, that it will use its existing authority to prevent drivers from losing access to lower-cost and lower-emission E15, a higher ethanol blend
NEWS release
By Lyndi Allen March 26, 2026
ICGA Statement on E15 Waiver
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