By WMBD-TV

BLOOMINGTON – The largest farming organization in the country may drop its Illinois branch next month.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the American Farm Bureau Federation voted to remove the Illinois Farm Bureau from its membership, effective Dec. 20. The Illinois Farm Bureau countered by suing the national organization in McLean County Circuit Court, arguing that the termination violates a past settlement agreement.

The disagreement comes from Country Mutual, an insurance company affiliated with the IFB. It’s ending its requirement that customers of its non-agribusiness insurance products must be a member of the Illinois Farm Bureau in 2025. Country Mutual defended the decision in a statement to AFBF that non-farming customers have complained for decades that they are left without insurance if they do not pay their membership dues.

When telling AFBF of Country Mutual’s business decision, court records show IFB officials said AFBF told them the decision will create “long-lasting harm” with a “devastating financial impact” for the organization.

IFB and AFBF leaders failed to negotiate an agreement after meeting multiple times over several months, even with a mediator present.

IFB president Brian Duncan criticized the national organization’s power in punishing its 70,000 farmers by removing their voice in federal policies over a business decision.

“AFBF has fundamentally changed what it means to be part of the ‘Farm Bureau family,’ claiming that we, Illinois farmers, can only be part of the family if we allow AFBF to exert control over state Farm Bureaus and their affiliates and fall in line,” Duncan said. “AFBF’s demands on Illinois Farm Bureau and Country Financial are wrong, and those demands break their promises.”

Duncan also pointed out in a 1990 agreement between AFBF and IFB, AFBF agreed they would not “seek to limit or terminate IAA’s membership rights in AFBF by reason of the business activities of IAA’s affiliates.”

As a part of ending the agreement, the Illinois Farm Bureau, legally called the Illinois Agricultural Association, would lose access to calling itself the “Farm Bureau” due to AFBF’s trademark of the term. The Illinois group’s lawsuit alleges that losing that branding will hurt the organization’s ability to help farmers across the state.

“If Illinois Farm Bureau is no longer able to use the ‘Farm Bureau’ name, as it has for the past century, it will be extremely detrimental to Illinois Farm Bureau’s goodwill and reputation throughout the state, as there will be widespread confusion among its members, vendors, and the general public as to why the name was dropped,” part of the lawsuit reads.

AFBF defended its decision, saying disagreements are not surprising within a large organization.

“At the heart of the matter for our board is the fact that farmers did not control an important membership decision that will harm farmers and Farm Bureau,” AFBF executive vice president Joby Young said in a statement to WCIA. “This is contrary to Farm Bureau’s core commitment to organizational control by farmers for the benefit of farmers.”

Despite the dispute, Duncan said his organization will “fight to stay” with the AFBF. Young also said AFBF would “would welcome a reunion” with IFB if the two groups can find a resolution.