Farm Foundation Tackle Ag Challenges

Founded in 1933 during the Great Depression by International Harvester CEO Alexander Legge and the then Illinois Governor Frank Lowden. The Farm Foundation was created to tackle pressing challenges in agriculture. Todd Price, Vice President of the Farm Foundation, explains the organization's mission and how it serves farmers on a national basis.

“Today, they saw a problem in ag that they didn't think anybody was trying to solve. And they really thought, you know, if we could just get people together and talk about it across the full value stream of agriculture. So, you know, whether it be academics, government officials, people you know who worked for ag companies and farmers, to come together and actually discuss things. So it was really the first of that kind of thing.”

In the 1930s agriculture faced what many fear could be the end of the industry, marked by the collapse of the market economy, the Dust Bowl and other hardships. The farm Foundation was formed to strengthen agriculture and the food system, and for 90 years, it has continued to work as the nonpartisan organization.

“Usually, there's a point that we're trying to advocate for, and, you know, farm foundation is about all Ag, and we don't take sides very non partisan. So it's a different kind of approach to it, and so that's gained us a lot of credibility.”

The Farm Foundation's Todd Price.