|
 Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Director Cathy Wilhite
introduced Poe. She said agriculture has always played a big role in
Poe's life. He is a third generation grain farmer in Sangamon County
and farming remains a big part of the Poe family as the next
generation now farms in Sangamon County.
Wilhite said Poe has also served as President of the Sangamon County
Farm Bureau and Lincoln Land Farm Supply. He has spent twenty years
in the Illinois General Assembly where he represents the 99th
district and served as a member of the House Agriculture and
Conservation Committees.
Wilhite said Poe "has won several prestigious awards, honors, and
certificates of appreciation over the years" and "among the
accolades he is more proud of is an agriculture award given to him
by the Illinois Farm Bureau." Poe and his wife live in Sangamon
County and have three children, nine grandchildren and three great
grandchildren. He also has ties to Logan County having been born in
Lincoln.
 Poe said we need to do more for agriculture, which is the biggest
industry in the state. He said many do not realize it is 90 percent
regulatory. The Department of Agriculture regulates both meat and
poultry.
Poe said, "a lot of people do not realize how important agriculture
is." In his address, Poe shared details highlighting the importance
of agriculture.
Poe said the Department of Agriculture helps put food on the shelves
and provides meat inspections. He said there are over 200 meat
inspectors in the state of Illinois providing these inspections.
Poe said last year, the Department of Agriculture licensed 261
companies and there are 1,000 licenses on individual facilities.
Poe said pesticides also have to be licensed and there are "228
registered pesticide applications " and "nearly 2,000 registered
farmers that spray their own fields."
Poe said there are many livestock facilities and "in 2016, the
department received 2,100 proposals for livestock projects. All
2,100 livestock facilities will be inspected three times before
licensing."
Poe said Illinois is staying ahead of the nutrient loss program and
the Department of Agriculture is working to keep up with it rather
than turning it over to the EPA.
He said the Department of Agriculture has expanded markets overseas
and has trade shows throughout the United States. There are offices
in Hong Kong and Mexico. He said, "Since I've been there a
year-and-a-half, we've had delegations from Mexico. . .They are
international buyers and we take them places like ADM and GSI. . .We
try to get them to make some purchases in the states."
Poe said the Illinois State Fair, Du Quoin Fair, and cattle fairs
are "a big part of promoting agriculture. It brings people more
understanding of agriculture." There are many events at the fairs,
each that help highlight agriculture and educate people about it."
Poe said ,"agribusinesses are the key economics, I think, in the
twenty first century. We have 74,000 farms."
Poe said, "When we are out there planting corn and beans, we
don't think about agritourism, and agritourism has become a big part
of the state's economy and helps agriculture. In Southern Illinois,
we've got all these trails where you can go out to all the
wineries."
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Poe said Illinois also has festivals like the Pumpkin Festival, the Balloon
Festival and the Barbeque Festival.
Poe said, "We are always promoting, but that's not enough. We have got to
strengthen that. We've got to strengthen both public and private partnerships to
facilitate continued success."
Poe said, "I am fortunate to work with Governor Rauner to bring efficiencies
that will improve our business, grow jobs, and bolster our economy."
Poe said many do not realize how important education can be. He said, "a recent
study by Purdue University showed nearly 58,000 jobs will open across the United
States in food, agriculture, and renewable natural resources industry by 2020.
There is a great future out there for you and that's encouraging."
He said, "The bad news [is] at this point, we are only educating people to fill
60 percent of those jobs, so you can see we've got a void. I think you can take
a good college agriculture degree and you can have choices. Can you imagine 40
percent of jobs are going to go unfilled?"
He said, "If we're going to continue to improve agriculture in the state of
Illinois and keep being the number one in the state, keep doing what you are
doing today [through] scholarships, education, and investing in ag training."
Poe said, "We've got to inspire our next generation to pursue a career in the
industry." He said in agriculture there is a need for people in computer
science, technicians, and electronic jobs. Engineers are also needed. More
veterinarians are needed with all the livestock facilities and "we need
veterinary pathologists." He said, "there is just a wealth of possibilities."
He said, "You can give your kids 200 acres, but give them that education and you
made a lot better investment in your children."
Poe said he was glad to see the Chamber host this event because a chamber is
about "creating jobs and making our community better."
As he ended his keynote address by saying, "I want you to understand the value
of agriculture in Illinois. As a legislator for 21 years, I preached especially
to our northern legislators, how important ag is" from the food on your table to
water conservation.
Poe closed by saying, the people in the Department of Agriculture "all stand
today in place of the hard work of the University of Illinois farmers." He then
wished everyone a happy Ag Week and a successful crop and season.
[Angela Reiners] |
