IALF DC

Written by Collin Ryan, Class of 2027

“We in America, do not have a government by the majority, but government by the majority that participate.”

I believe this quote we heard at the American Farm Bureau Federation perfectly sums up the IALF experience during our action-filled week in Washington, DC. In our preparation and conversations leading up to the trip, one resounding message we heard was, “If you’re not there to tell your story, someone else will.”

For most of us, this was our first experience in Washington. For many, it likely won’t be the last.

Our group spent the week visiting a variety of trade organizations and government agencies to get a peek behind the curtain at priorities across multiple areas of agriculture and better understand how policy is truly made. Our first visit to Torrey Advisory Group was the perfect way to set the stage for our eventual visit to Capitol Hill later in the week. We talked about being a trusted voice and what we as leaders can do to be trusted. A quote from Michael stuck with me: “Everyone hates lobbyists except the ones that work for them.” The term lobbyist often carries a negative connotation, but in reality, we were all in Washington to advocate for the betterment of agriculture. Throughout the week, key topics such as the Farm Bill, trade, biofuels, and labor policies were recurring themes nearly everywhere we went.

Another highlight was visiting the Embassy of Vietnam in Washington, DC, in preparation for our upcoming international trip. During our visit, we learned about Vietnamese culture, traditions, and perspectives on agriculture. One comment that stood out was that Americans are often viewed as “rockstars” in Vietnam, and I can only hope that is the case when we make our trip. While I didn’t leave the embassy speaking fluent Vietnamese, the visit definitely made me more excited for what’s to come on our international trip a short year from now.

One of the biggest leadership lessons I took away from the week was the importance of staying flexible. Between the chaos of travel logistics, meetings getting moved or cancelled, and unexpected events - including a van crashing through barricades that ultimately cancelled a White House visit - it would have been easy for the group to get rattled. Instead, everyone rose to the occasion and continued to represent Illinois agriculture with professionalism. I think we even mastered the Metro by the end of the week.

As we wrap up a full and fast-paced week, we leave Washington not only more informed, but also as a closer and more cohesive group.

E pluribus unum — “Out of many, one.”