Illinois State Representative Curtis J. Tarver II visited Wayne and White Counties last week as part of the Illinois Farm Bureau Adopt-a-Legislator Program. Tarver was joined by his daughter, Charliegh, and her godfather, Jason, as well as several directors and staff of the Farm Bureau organization. This is Tarver’s first visit to the counties.
His first stop was at the farm of the Byars family north of Geff. Rodney, Ritchie, Hayden, and Matthew Byars discussed the use of grid & variable rate technology on the farm. Tarver learned about raising cattle as well as experienced corn harvest from the cab of the combine in a nearby field.
The group traveled south to Grayville where they met with Todd Neibel, Dmitri Krajec, and Travis Correll with Wabash Valley Service Company. Following lunch, the WVSC team led a discussion on how the cooperative analyzes data obtained from a farmer’s field and helps the farmer maximize their efficiency with their crop input applications.
The next stop on the tour was Geo Mitchell Drilling in Carmi. The group heard a presentation from company owner Chris Mitchell regarding oil production activity in the Illinois Basin. Also presenting was Seth Whitehead from the Illinois Petroleum Resources Board. Ryan Mitchell, Jake Campbell, and Ross Barnett led the group on a tour of an active oil well site east of Crossville.
The day finished with a dinner at The Social House in Carmi. Representative Tarver was joined by directors from the Wayne & White County Farm Bureaus. Directors discussed various issues facing farmers in southeastern Illinois and reiterated the priorities of the organization.
The Illinois Farm Bureau Adopt-a-Legislator program seeks to pair up Illinois urban legislators with down state county Farm Bureaus, so they can learn more about agriculture and the issues facing rural Illinois counties. The leaders of Wayne and White County Farm Bureaus plan to meet with Representative Tarver again while attending the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago next month.
