Jim Rapp’s legacy of ag leadership in Illinois made him a perfect fit for the recent “We are the 96%” consumer engagement campaign. His knowledge of important agriculture issues is a body of knowledge that will be tough to pass down, though he’s trying as the farm slowly transitions to his sons Ben and Nick Rapp and their families.
“I think my very first involvement in a big issue was when I sat on the IL Corn Growers Association board during the early 2000s for about six years. That was the time when we were lobbying for ethanol policy, specifically policy that would help us build a new corn market and achieve energy independence and reduce reliance on foreign oil,” Rapp said.
“Don’t forget, 9/11 happened in 2001 and our country was hyper focused on stopping the terrorists that attacked us. We needed to quit buying oil from them.”
Rapp was one of many farmers excited about the role he could play in helping the U.S. stop importing foreign oil. He invested in Illinois ethanol plants to help get the new industry off the ground and worked at a local level to assist permitting and siting of new ethanol plants.
Rapp’s sons were busy with other things in the early 2000s – namely college – and didn’t concern themselves with the future their dad was building, but Rapp was volunteering his time for them. He was building an industry and a future for his children and their families on their Illinois farm.
The ethanol industry in the Bureau County area has offered another market for the corn they grow, improving prices by adding options. Rapp and his colleagues’ investment made agriculture a more profitable family business for many in Illinois.
Today, Ben and Nick Rapp, their wives, and Jim Rapp’s seven grandchildren are invested in the Rapp family farm. Ben and Nick are the fourth generation working on the family farm, and they, along with their father, are working toward a future for their grandchildren to build their lives on the farm as well.
“We’re working together on our farming methods, how we farm, and it’s always a work in progress. But we want there to be a farm here for any of the grandkids to choose this life for themselves,” Jim Rapp said. “We have seven under seven so it’s tough to say right now what their futures hold, but they sure do love to ride along with grandpa!”
Rapp explains that it’s tough to “let go of the reins” of the family farm his grandpa passed to his dad, and his dad passed to him. But seeing his sons involved in the “We are the 96%” campaign, seeing them understand the commitment it will take to protect their family farm for the future and to build a life on it for their children, Jim feels nothing but pride.
Source: ilfb.org
Categories: Illinois, Rural Lifestyle