Welcome New Summer Interns

Great news at IL Corn, we have two new interns that have swung into action. This duo has already started pitching in to some priorities at IL Corn. Here's a little bit about Breanne Gullidge and Shae Ruppert.

Meet Breanne

Breanne grew up on a small grain and cattle farm in Louisville, IL. In May of 2022 she graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign after studying Agriculture Consumer Economics with a concentration in Public Policy and Law. This summer she is studying for the LSAT and plans to attend law school in August 2023.

Her career goals are to focus on agriculture law and advocating for farmers. These career goals are what lead her to seek out a position at IL Corn to gain a better understanding of the Association’s legislative priorities and how they advocate for farmers. "Farmers have a lot on their plate as technology changes and population rises so I am excited to help and learn about how IL Corn partners with our legislators to help agriculture," says Breanne.

In Breanne’s free time she enjoys spending time with her family and trying new restaurants (she is new to the Bloomington-Normal area this summer).

Meet Shae

Shae is from Heyworth, IL and currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Consumer Economics with a concentration in Agribusiness Markets and Management at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign. She is also pursuing a minor in crop science and will be graduating in May of 2023. Post-graduation Shae hopes to obtain her master’s degree at the University of Illinois and eventually work in the ag field doing something related to sustainability and conservation.

Her interest in conservation and is what originally drove her to want to be a part of IL Corn this summer as she knew that educating the public and informing policy makers on these topics was something this organization values. "I value the work that IL Corn takes part in to help make farmers’ and the agriculture industry’s voices heard," says Shae.

In her spare time, Shae enjoys playing basketball, spending time with family and friends, being outside, as well as playing the piano. She’s happy to be here and learn more about what IL Corn does and its impact.

Both of our interns will partner on Ag in the Classroom training sessions, communication special projects, legislative tasks and advocacy efforts. We look forward to teaching them all about IL Corn and watching them bring their own spin on corn.

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The sun is setting behind the capitol building in washington d.c.

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By Lyndi Allen • July 3, 2025

Illinois corn farmers will be impacted by many provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Bill that passed in both chambers this week.

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By Lyndi Allen • July 3, 2025

Trade plays a critical role in driving demand for U.S. corn—not only as grain or feed, but also as fuel.

Corn: More American Than Apple Pie

By Lindsay Croke • June 30, 2025

When we think of Independence Day traditions, sweet corn on the cob is as iconic as fireworks and often even more central to the celebration. According to Instacart, purchases of sweet corn surge by 380% over the annual average heading into July 4th, outranking other grilling staples like baby back ribs and burgers. But corn's role in your Fourth of July celebration goes far beyond your plate. In Illinois alone, 8,300 acres of sweet corn are harvested annually, averaging 155 cwt per acre. That’s more than 128 million pounds of locally grown sweetness fueling summer cookouts across the state. And while sweet corn makes a big impression on the grill, most of Illinois’ corn crop isn’t sweet corn - it’s field corn. Less than 1% of the state’s crop is sweet corn, while the rest is used in products that are often invisible to consumers but vital to everyday life: fuel, packaging, fireworks, and even spirits.