SR0563 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0563 LRB103 34936 LAW 64817 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Richard L. Guebert Jr. on the occasion of his retirement as president of Illinois Farm Bureau; and

WHEREAS, Richard Guebert was born and raised on a 120-cow family dairy farm; after returning home from Southern Illinois University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture education with a minor in animal science, he started his own farming operation with his wife, Nancy; he and his son, Kyle, operate a farm in Ellis Grove, where they raise corn, soybeans, and wheat; and

WHEREAS, Richard Guebert is the 15th president of Illinois Farm Bureau and serves as a full-time executive officer; he is also president of COUNTRY Financial, the Illinois Agricultural Service Company, and the IAA Foundation; he serves on the Leadership Council and the board of the Illinois Agri-Food Alliance, a statewide initiative to enable Illinois and the Chicago region to become the leading global hub for food and agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his election as president in December 2013, Richard Guebert served as vice president of Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) from 2003 to 2013; as vice president, he also served as chairman of the COUNTRY/IFB Governance Committee; and

WHEREAS, Before Richard Guebert's time with Illinois Farm Bureau, he served as director of the Lower Kaskaskia Stakeholders, Inc. from 1999 to 2004, director of the Kaskaskia Watershed Association from 2000 to 2004, director of Gateway FS from 1990 to 2008, and on the board of directors of the Randolph County Farm Bureau from 1993 to 2003, where he also served as vice president from 1994 to 1996 and president from 1996 to 2003; and

WHEREAS, In 2001, Richard Guebert served on the Illinois Farm Bureau Co-op Task Force and completed the Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow leadership training; and

WHEREAS, Richard Guebert was named a Master Farmer by Prairie Farmer magazine in 2006; and

WHEREAS, In March 2007, Richard Guebert accompanied then-Director Jack Lavin of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and other delegates on a trade mission to India to open a trade office in New Delhi; in June 2007, he traveled to Poland with then-Lt. Governor Pat Quinn on a four-city cultural exchange and trade mission that developed and enhanced the relationship between Illinois and Poland; in March 2009, he was part of the farm and business delegation to Cuba under the direction of the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Jack Block; he was appointed by then-Governor Pat Quinn to the Taxpayer Action Board in April 2009 and the Governor's Export Advisory Council in 2012; he participated in a trade mission to China with Governor Quinn and several business leaders from across the State in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Richard Guebert and his wife, Nancy, are parents to their son, Kyle; and

WHEREAS, Richard Guebert's leadership and vision during his tenure at Illinois Farm Bureau will leave a lasting impact on agriculture; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Richard Guebert Jr. on his retirement, and we thank him for his dedication and commitment to improving the economic well-being of agriculture and enriching the quality of farm family life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Richard Guebert as an expression of our esteem and respect.