Pictured above from L to R: Rod Stoll, FCI marketplace engagement vice president; Jessica & Bradley Barkley, Macoupin County farmers; Karen Neff, FCI director and St. Clair County farmer; Rep. Rodney Davis; and Steve & Brandie Thursby, Macoupin County farmers.

Farm Credit Illinois farmer-veteran members were present Wednesday as the AgriBank District Farm Credit Council (ADFCC) conferred its 2018 Friend of Farm Credit Award to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, who has served on the House Agriculture Committee since coming to Congress in 2013 and currently serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research.

"Davis received the award for his important work on behalf of rural communities, agriculture, and the Farm Credit System. ADFCC members are in Washington to meet with members of Congress about issues important to farmers and ranchers in AgriBank’s Midwestern District. The current deliberations on the Farm Bill are foremost on their agenda. "

“The leadership Congressman Davis provides through his service on the House Agriculture Committee is critical to the well-being of our rural communities and our agricultural producers across the country,” said Karen Neff, a grain and livestock farmer from near Belleville, Ill.; a board member of Farm Credit Illinois; and ADFCC member. “We especially appreciate Congressman Davis’s efforts to ensure the crop insurance program remains an effective risk management tool to help producers deal with the uncertainties of weather and the markets. In addition to the counter-cyclical programs that are so important to producers, crop insurance is a vital component of ensuring an adequate safety net. Through his leadership on the House Committee on Agriculture, Congressman Davis ensured the crop insurance provisions remained strong in the House version of the Farm Bill.”

“It’s always an honor to be called a friend of farmers because they truly are some of the hardest working people I know,” Davis said. “What our farmers do is crucial to our economy and feeding the world. I’m proud to support their hard work in Congress by fighting to pass another Farm Bill that protects crop insurance and other policies critical to agriculture. I appreciate the Farm Credit Council and members, like Karen Neff, who continue to be a strong voice for farmers throughout Illinois.”

Farm Credit supports rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services, today and tomorrow. Farm Credit has been fulfilling its mission of helping rural America grow and thrive for more than a century by providing farmers with the capital they need to make their businesses successful and by financing vital infrastructure and communication services. For more information about Farm Credit, please visit www.farmcredit.com.

The AgriBank District Farm Credit Council represents Farm Credit farmers and ranchers in a 15-state area from Wyoming to Ohio and Minnesota to Arkansas and including Illinois. About half the nation’s cropland is located within the AgriBank District.