U.S. Senator Richard Durbin visited with a group of farmers near Gibson City in Central Illinois.
The Springfield Democrat rode along with Colfax farmer Gerald (GARE-old) Thompson while he was harvesting soybeans;
Durbin also discussed how federal farm legislation provides Illinois farmers with a financial safety net.
Durbin heard farmers talk about how they use crops improved through the use of biotechnology, why they favor the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, and what might be needed to protect food security in the next federal farm bill.