The decision is effective as of Dec. 20
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) will have one fewer state member as of Dec. 20.
The AFBF expelled the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) from the national organization over insurance eligibility issues.
In September, Country Financial, an IFB-created insurance company, announced that as of Jan. 1, 2025, it would “still require an active IFB membership for farm-related policies but will no longer require and IFB membership for Personal Lines and Commercial policies.”
Country Financial and the IFB have the same board of directors.
An IFB membership costs about $20 per year, with AFBF receiving $5 from each membership that it uses for various activities.
With IFB having about 400,000 members, that equates to roughly $2 million in lost membership dues for the AFBF.
To put that into perspective, the AFBF spent about $2.1 million on lobbying expenditures in 2022, data shows.
The decision to remove the IFB membership requirement will be felt at multiple levels, said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.
“The membership decision is expected to cause the loss of hundreds of thousands of farm bureau members, to the detriment of Illinois Farmers, Illinois County Farm Bureau organizations, IFB and the entire Farm Bureau organization,” he wrote in a Nov. 11 letter to state farm bureau presidents, WGLT reported.
Country Financial reps believe this change is necessary.
In a September interview, Country Financial Jim Jacobs said the decision is necessary to stay competitive and is the right one for clients.
Once the AFBF’s decision goes into effect on Dec. 20, the Illinois Farm Bureau will lose its influence on national lobbying activities.
This isn’t the first time the AFBF lost a state member.
The Alabama Farmers Federation left in 1981 over disputes about its insurance operations.
It reconnected with the AFBF in 2005.
Farms.com has contacted IFB for comment on the expulsion and if it will try to rejoin the national organization.