Manley Joins Farm Bureau in Annual Planter Ridealong

WILL COUNTY, Ill. - Representative Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, got a boots-on-the-ground tour and tractor ride planting corn with the Will County Farm Bureau Saturday.

As part of the farm bureau’s Annual Planter Ridealong, Manley met father and son farmers, Rick and Corey Johnson, as they started their planting season near Peotone. The Johnsons have been farming for six generations.

“Agriculture is a leading economic driver in our state,” Manley said. “As a legislator, understanding the issues farmers face — from Mother Nature to taxation, benefits everyone across Illinois.”

The Johnsons explained soil properties, their planting process, and reasons their various fields are different from each other. Will County Farm Bureau Manager Jackson Hogan talked about how Will County farms differ from farms in other counties in Illinois. 

Inside the tractor cab, Manley learned how modern technology, including GPS, can plant and track each seed. 

“It’s fascinating to witness the technological advances in agriculture,” Manley said. “For those of us who didn’t grow up on a farm, it is important we don’t take for granted the hard work and risk farmers face year after year.”

Illinois, along with Iowa and Indiana, lead the nation in corn and soybean production. Illinois accounts for 4 percent of all U.S. agriculture sales, with 81 percent coming from crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat and forage, and 20 percent from livestock, according to the Illinois Farm Bureau.

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Representative Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, got a boots-on-the-ground tour and tractor ride planting corn hosted by sixth generation father and son farmers, Rick and Corey Johnson, and the Will County Farm Bureau Manager Jackson Hogan.