A lot has happened in my world since I last wrote in this space. I bet I could preface just about every article I’ve written here that way. This past month was no exception. But before I get going with this edition, I’d like to thank the dozens of you who have told me you actually read and enjoy this column. It means a lot knowing it’s not going straight to the bottom of the bird cage or litter box.
I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the American Farm Bureau Federation convention and annual meeting in San Antonio Texas in late January. Late last fall, I thought I had been through enough the last part of 2024 and almost didn’t go. Am I ever glad I made the trip. I was able to meet several state presidents, numerous members from other states, and fill in the time gaps visiting with dozens of people from Illinois who also made the trip. Anytime I would turn around, there would be someone from another part of the country ready to engage in a conversation, and when that person could see that I was a county president from Illinois, the conversation usually got deeper. I spoke with state presidents from Washington to Delaware and many other members from Idaho to Florida. There’s usually a common denominator in all these people and that is they value the rural way of life and value the influence an organization at the county level can have that can get that influence all the way to the national level. Last year, AFBF president Zippy Duvall proclaimed 2024 the “year of the county president” to stress the importance of such a position. He hosted a “County presidents’ reception” one afternoon this year at the convention. The event gave county presidents from across the nation a chance to be together, network, and share stories with others. It’s interesting to hear what specific problems have been dealt with in other areas of the country versus what we deal with here in Champaign County. I’ll never forget the impression it’s made on me.
I’ll leave you all with one more observation. About a year ago I wrote here that I hoped we could all outyield these low market prices and fortunately I think most of us did. When I was finding a place last October to deliver my “overage corn bushels”, I never imagined those bushels could have been worth what they are as I write this. Even though I overstuffed the bins, I still “gave away” many bushels thinking we will never recover from this glut of corn. What are the odds we will outyield the storm 2 years in a row? Maybe it’s our turn to have the “off year” while neighboring states outyield the storm. Who knows. Regardless, there are more insurance coverage options this year and a decent opportunity to forward price some grain and lock in a profit and not a loss. By the time you read this, price levels should be set and I’m betting they are way better than any of us thought they could be 3 months ago. I’m not an insurance salesman but it’s worth the time to inquire about enhanced coverage levels this year and explore those options.
Doug Downs, CCFB President
