Farm Week: Foster talks farm bill, biofuels with IFB

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster fielded questions from Illinois Farm Bureau members spanning from trade to biofuels to agricultural diversity in Illinois during a meet and greet Dec. 7 at Annual Meeting.

Foster, D-Naperville, met with dozens of Farm Bureau members from a handful of counties in his district. 

"What I walked away with is there's a huge appetite for compromise that makes the system work better, whether you're talking about getting better trade policy or better immigration policy," Foster told FarmWeek following the meeting. "There are a bunch of deals that Congress should be making ... and the farm bill would be the perfect example of that."

The farm bill was extended for a third year to Sept. 30, 2026, in the federal funding package that reopened the government in November.

"(The farm bill) used to be just a wonderful example of our democracy working the way it should. And it seems like someone's throwing sand in the gears these days ... We're not seeing a lot of reasonable compromises," Foster said. "We're also seeing the continuing march of technology, including the technology being dispersed in places like Brazil and Argentina and putting tremendous pressure on the farm economy in the United States. And we're seeing a lot of the deals in trade are things that may benefit the computer chip manufacturers, or they may benefit the fossil fuel industry in the United States, but not necessarily benefiting the farm economy. And that's something I feel strongly about."

Foster shared his support for biofuels, specifically year-round E-15, which is supported by IFB. As a scientist, Foster said he can help explain to fellow members of Congress the benefits of biofuels.

"It's a diversification of the markets for our crops, and that's very important," he said. 

Jennifer Kinney, of McHenry County Farm Bureau, recalled participating in IFB's September's Leaders to Washington trip where some of the same topics were discussed with members of Congress and other industry officials. She appreciates the opportunity to connect with members on both sides of the aisle.

"My takeaway is that everybody really actually has the same interests at heart," she said.