 Richard Guebert Jr., of Ellis Grove, was elected to a two-year term
as IFB president. Guebert previously served as vice president of IFB
for the last 10 years and has served as president of the Randolph
County Farm Bureau."I'm looking forward to working with the board
of not only Illinois Farm Bureau, but also Country Financial,"
Guebert said. "We'll continue (to) move Illinois agriculture
forward, stay abreast of the emerging issues and get our points of
view carried out."
Guebert said he felt government over-regulation, commodity prices
and inability to complete a farm bill would be the main challenges
facing Illinois farmers during the next few years.
"We need to find a way to engage our legislators so they can hear
what we have to say and encourage them to do what they were elected
to do," Guebert said. "We need a farm bill passed, we need response
on RFS, we need good energy policy that will take care of this
country going down the road, and we need to be fiscally responsible
and financially stable, whether it's here in Illinois or in
Washington, D.C. And we need to be part of those conversations with
our legislators."
During his tenure as vice president, Guebert participated in
trade missions to India, Poland, China and Cuba, and was appointed
to the Taxpayer Action Board and the Governor's Export Advisory
Council.
Guebert has a bachelor's degree in agriculture education, with a
minor in animal science, from Southern Illinois University. Guebert
and his wife, Nancy, and their son, Kyle, operate a corn, soybean
and wheat farm in Randolph County.
Guebert replaces Philip Nelson, of Seneca, who served 10 years as
IFB president. IFB has a tenure policy limiting officeholders to
five consecutive two-year terms.
David Erickson, of Altona, was elected to a two-year term as IFB
vice president. Erickson previously served as Illinois Soybean
Association president, American Soybean Association president and
Knox County Farm Bureau president.
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"This is exciting," Erickson said. "I feel a tremendous sense
of responsibility to the organization and the members we all
represent. I'm excited about the opportunity to get further
engaged in resolutions and issues with Illinois Farm Bureau.
I've really enjoyed the opportunity to get across the state and
meet more members during this campaign process and I can't wait
to do it more."
Erickson said he's looking forward to continuing IFB's work on
moving a five-year farm bill forward.
"I think our inability to reach a decision in a timely basis on
the farm bill — well, we as producers need to take part of the
blame," Erickson said. "Perhaps we have been giving some mixed
signals. I think, organizationally, Illinois Farm Bureau has been
right on point and been consistent with what they do, but I think
throughout the countryside we hear a mix of messaging in what is
important to producers. It's clear we need risk management and it
needs to be producer-friendly. Those key things are important."
Erickson is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a
bachelor's degree in agricultural education. He is an active member
of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Altona. He and his wife, Nancy,
operate a corn and soybean farm that specializes in using no-till
practices and site-specific technology. They have one son, Adam.
[Text from file received from
Illinois Farm Bureau]
The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau
Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded
in 1916, IFB is a nonprofit, membership organization directed by
farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total
membership of more than 400,000, a voting membership of more than
82,000 and represents 3 out of 4 Illinois farmers.
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