Inside:
- Helping beginning farmers get started
- Report finds Illinoisans pay higher taxes than most Americans
- Illinois farmers report record soybean crop
- Around the district
Helping beginning farmers get started
I have introduced a bill this spring to help beginning farmers get started. The vast majority of Illinois farms are family owned, but we need to make sure we are passing them on to the next generation of farmers.
A good way to do so is to provide some incentives for young people to get involved with farming, and for those who might be nearing retirement to help them out in doing so. The federal government already provides incentives to help start a farm. My bill will provide state tax incentives for a landowner who wants to help a beginning farmer get started. Under the legislation, a landowner can rent their farm to a new farmer and receive some tax incentives for doing so.
I’ve been working with the Department of Revenue, the Farm Bureau and the Department of Agriculture to get their input and to put together a program that will help those who want to get started in agriculture.
I expect the bill to be assigned to a committee in the coming weeks.
Report finds Illinoisans pay higher taxes than most Americans
It’s no secret that Illinois is a high-tax state. Last year the state raised taxes again, with legislators voting at 4:30 in the morning on the last day of session to push through almost $1 billion in new taxes. I voted No.
With this year’s projection of a $3.2 billion budget deficit the temptation to raise taxes again will be very strong among some in Springfield.
A recent report from the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability found that Illinoisans pay more in taxes than do residents of most of the other states.
Illinois has the 13th highest per capita revenue number among all 50 states, with the average amount of government revenue per person coming in $744 higher than the national average. This figure includes income and sales taxes, and other taxes and fees that provide the state with revenue.
Illinois ranks 16th in the country for personal income taxes, with an average of $1738. Many other states have lower personal income tax rates, and some – like Florida and Texas – have no personal income tax at all.
In state motor fuel taxes Illinoisans are again at unlucky #13 in the country. The total state tax burden on fuel in Illinois is 66.5 cents per gallon, which the CGFA study found was the second-highest in the nation, only behind California.
State revenues totaled 7.1% of the personal income of all Illinoisans, more than four of our five neighbors. These state tax calculations did not include the taxes which Illinoisans pay to local governments. Statewide, Illinois has the 8th highest burden of local taxes in the country, though the amounts differ from town to town.
Illinoisans are already overtaxed. We should not look to tax increases as a solution to this year’s budget shortfall.
Illinois farmers report record soybean crop
Illinois farmers harvested 688 million bushels of soybeans in 2024, an all-time record for the state. The previous record was 667 million bushels back in 2018.
Soybean farmers work 10.75 million acres of land in Illinois, which is approximately 40 percent of the total farmland of the state. More than 99% of the soybeans grown in Illinois are processed for human use. More than 2000 Illinois manufacturing companies process crops grown here and in neighboring states, which gives Illinois one of the largest concentrations of food-related businesses in the world.
Illinois soybeans are used not just for food, but also for products like soy-based biodiesel fuel.
Around the district
Friday morning Sens. Anderson, Halpin, Arellano, Rep. Johnson and I participated in the Quad Cities Chamber 2025 Legislative Event at Bally’s. It was great to see local leaders, business owners, school officials and others attending the breakfast event. Overregulation, high property taxes, lack of housing and a level playing field seemed to be a common theme.
In the evening, Tammy and I attended the Knox County Pork Producers annual banquet at Lake Storey’s Pavilion. Congratulations to Pete Holmes as he was inducted into the Knox County Pork Producers Hall of Fame. Pete started farming on his own in 1972, farrowing and finishing hogs in the field. He grew up showing pigs and cattle at many 4-H and FFA shows. Pete and his wife Diane are longtime leaders of the Warangal Trailblazers 4-H Club and helped numerous 4-H members with their projects. Congratulations Pete and Diane.
Saturday was the 107th Annual Knox County Farm Bureau Annual meeting. I always enjoy visiting with local farmers, business owners and FFA students in attendance. Leader Hammond and I shared some thoughts on the upcoming legislative session. Thank you KCFB!
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