SR0992 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0992 LRB101 16404 MST 65782 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois is a rich agricultural state, home to over 1 million farmers and over 72,000 farms that grow fruits and vegetables and raise livestock; and

WHEREAS, Almost 50% of all land in the United States is set aside for farming, including 75% of all land in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Farming is a vital part of the Illinois economy as it generates over $19 billion each year; and

WHEREAS, Farmers generally do not turn a profit from their work until they have been in the sector for several years, which makes this necessary profession a risky endeavor; and

WHEREAS, Student loan debt is on the rise, totaling over $1.5 trillion and creating an additional barrier for young farmers to make a living, leading many young people to steer away from farming as a profession; and

WHEREAS, The number of beginning farmers fell 20% between 2007 and 2012; and

WHEREAS, The average age of farmers in the United States is continually rising, climbing to over 58 in 2012 from 49 in 1945, which means young farmers are disappearing from the economy; and

WHEREAS, The United States will see 66% of its farmer-owned land needing a transfer in ownership within the next 25 years; the United States also only added 1,220 young operators to its farming economy, which means there are not enough new farmers to handle the transfer of land that will need to take place; and

WHEREAS, Adding farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program will create a pathway for young people with student debt to succeed in agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Farmers are critical to our nation's well-being as they produce the food we eat, steward nearly half the country's land, and support rural economies; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we believe farming is an integral public service and that farmers constitute public service professionals; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the U.S. Congress to expand the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program so that it includes farming as an applicable career for loan forgiveness; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.