Schmidgall, Bunting assume new roles

The new 106th District State Rep. Jason Bunting talks to the CIFN on Saturday in Forrest.

PONTIAC – Changes for the state political landscape have spilled over into the local farm scene.

Brad Schmidgall is the new president for the Livingston County Farm Bureau after Jason Bunting was appointed to serve in the Illinois House to replace Tom Bennett who was named a Senator earlier this year.

Schmidgall has always called this area home and says he has received strong support from the local Farm Bureau board. The longtime LCFB board and Young Leader member looks forward to representing members in the county.

“We got involved in it when my wife and I both came back from college,” recalled Schmidgall. “(Farm Bureau) gave us an opportunity to get involved in the ag community.”

LCFB is a big advocate for agriculture and supports farmers by being a voice on the legislative side. Schmidgall encourages anyone working in ag to get involved, which means you don’t have to be a farmer.

“Agriculture is the biggest industry in the State of Illinois,” added Schmidgall.

Former LCFB President Jason Bunting was appointed to serve as a State Representative in the 106th District in early February after several candidates interviewed for the position.

“I took the oath that afternoon,” Bunting said.

Bunting hopes to hit the ground running to represent his constituents, saying he finally got his head “above water” in Springfield.

“We started really hard with the committees last week so we are trying to learn and get all of the education I can on some of these bills,” noted Bunting.

Bunting had served many years with the LCFB and also represented District Two on the Livingston County Board. He feels many of the issues the state is facing now are things he has advocated for over the years.

The 106th District includes two nuclear plants to the north along with plenty of wind and solar projects. Gibson City has an ethanol plant while Gilman has a bio-diesel plant.

“We’ve got the full energy spectrum and I’m hoping to get involved and make things happen,” Bunting said.

All of Iroquois County is included in the district along with most of Ford, the easter half of Livingston County (not including Pontiac), a slice of McLean County around Chenoa, a three-block area in Will County and most of Grundy and LaSalle counties south of the river.