The American Farm Bureau has voted to terminate the Illinois Farm Bureau’s membership effective on December 20. The vote took place on November 12 from the AFBF board of directors after unsuccessful mediation with IFB leadership.
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” said Terri Moore, vice president of communications for the American Farm Bureau, “but we’re the largest general farm organization in the country, and from time to time, there are disagreements, and it’s unfortunate, and we hope to have a better resolution on the other side.”
AFB President Zippy Duvall says the action was based on Illinois Farm Bureau’s decision to allow its controlled affiliate company, Country Financial, to eliminate the Farm Bureau membership eligibility requirement for non-farm insurance policyholders in Illinois. Moore said it’s all about making sure farmers control the Farm Bureau.
“It comes down to, for our board of directors, which is made up of 30-some state presidents from across the country, the big thing that they want to protect is farmer control of Farm Bureau. We’re an organization that was created by farmers for the benefit of farmers and controlled by farmers for 105 years. The concern is that it was not farmers deciding to change the membership requirements in Illinois. So, that’s why President Duvall has said, ‘My concern is, I just want to know that this is farmer-led.” So that’s the conversation that’s happening now.”
She says AFB tried to work out the disagreement with IFB, and this is the last thing the national organization wanted.
“The Executive Committee of the American Farm Bureau board reached out and had hoped for a farmer-to-farmer meeting, in the end, which was a mediation meeting, and the mediation was not successful, so that is what led to the board deciding to implement membership.”
Moore added, “But we remain hopeful that, before long, there will be a resolution.”