IL Corn Joins Over 300 Ag Groups in Washington to Advocate for New Farm Bill

Sep 13, 2024

By Haley Bickelhaupt

With Congress back in session, farmers and association leaders advocated for a farm bill, this week, in Washington D.C.

On Monday, over 300 agricultural groups sent a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting new legislation by the end of the year. The current farm bill expires September 30, 2024, and an extension is being negotiated. However, approaching elections have created road blocks, heightening political dynamics and increasing partisan divides.

To raise awareness for a farm bill, IL Corn participated in the National Corn Growers Association September fly-in and met with members of the House Agriculture Committee. The groups highlighted the importance of the bill considering economic struggles farmers are facing in the Midwest.

“It is critical that Congress pass a new farm bill that strengthens the safety net as many producers are facing multiple years of not being profitable and this is causing their overall financial situation to deteriorate,” the letter said.

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.