CropLife Retail Week Special Edition: Illinois Ag Retailers Get Major Win and MAGIE Show 2025 Sneak Peek!

Illinois ag retailers are celebrating a major milestone: new continuous education options for applicators! In this exclusive interview, Kevin “K.J.” Johnson of the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association shares what this means for the industry, plus a preview of the 2025 MAGIE Show, including awards, new tech, and what’s ahead for ag retail.

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*Below is a partial and edited transcript:

Eric Sfiligoj: Hello. Welcome to a special edition of Crap Life retail Week. I’m Eric Sfiligoj, editor of CropLife here today with a special guest, Kevin K.J. Johnson, the president of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association. Welcome to the program.

Kevin Johnson: Hey, thanks for having me on, Eric. Appreciate it.

ES: Yeah, I know, again, usually when I talk every year, kind of going over what’s going on in a great state of Illinois and, Yeah. Talk a little bit about some of our favorite events coming up here in the summertime, but, yeah. First off, if you could tell me, I guess there have been some recent activity in the state capital of Springfield that is relevant to the ag retail community.

So if you could share what that news is and why it’s significant.

KJ: Yeah. So actually some big news. So, an issue that we’ve been working on, I say for many years, but just have never had that opportunity to get it across the finish line with the department. Like here in Illinois is continuous education for applicator licenses.

So a lot of states across the Midwest already have continuous education for applicators and their state. But in Illinois, we have to take a test to become a licensed applicator. But then every three years, we have to retest, from there forward. So we didn’t ever have a continuous education option. So what we have pushed for and we’ve asked for, for our members have always asked is to give us options.

Any of those guys that are in Missouri or in Iowa, borderline or Indiana that can we ever go to that in the future? And we’ve been working with the Illinois Department for many years, but in the last year and a half, it’s really started up and trying to bring that here to Illinois. And so the Department of Ag and IFCA, with all of the commodity groups in Illinois, put some legislation together to bring that back here.

And what we did is we did get it through the General Assembly, both the Senate and House passed 50 to 4 in the Senate and 115 to 0 in the House. So usually on a pesticide related issue, we don’t always get that much kind of bipartisan. But I think talking to legislators, this is just giving more options for applicators to keep up their license.

But I think all the legislators know it’s good that if an application would we want do more education, that’s not a bad thing. That’s a good thing. So it is on the governor’s desk right now. We think he will sign it by the end of, summer, probably more so. I hope we get the Illinois State Fair that we will get this through.

The legislation does say it starts in January 1st at 26. And then we’re going to have to have some time to build out the rules in the computer system with the department. But we’re hoping in 27 to have continuous education credits for all applicators. Now, again, this is an option if you still like taking the test every year, you’re going to be able to do that.

The other thing is, is that this is just going to be on general standards for right now. But long term we hope we can bring category continuous education credits to all applicators in the state. So this is going to be for all 36,000 applicators in the state of Illinois.

ES: Very good. And for folks who may be watching this program who are custom applicators and want to find out more about this, is there, should they visit the FCA website to find out information, or is there a government site at this?

KJ: You can go to ifca.com and see some of the stuff that we have put out. But if you go to the Illinois General Assembly’s website and type in SB 783, you’ll find it. Now again, this is just giving you an outline of what a program might look like. The details will be done and rules and works are going to start talking to the department about that. But what we think is there will be over three years. You have to take 15 hours of continuous education credits. So pretty much five hours a year would be that they will be approved through the Illinois Department. So if somebody tries to put out a class, if I, FCA or a Farm Bureau or University of Illinois puts out a class, it would have to be submitted through the Illinois Department and they would have to approve it.

So it’s not just a sales class from there, but it would have to be approved through the department. And what our hope is, maybe a couple hours years is more just general standards that we always just need to hit about. But what we like about this is that every year we can add classes that are pertaining to the issue of the day.

So maybe right now it’s the herbicide strategy or Endangered Species Act, but five years from now might be something more about adjuvants or something like that. So it won’t just be the same classes every year. It will be a continuous flow. What are the issues of the day that we need to get out the applicators, so they can be the best applicator possible?

ES: I’m glad you added that. My next question would have been with the FSA standards coming around over the next couple of years here and adjusting for those. How this program might be flexible regarding that. So thank you for answering that. And I think that’s going to be the first thing that’s going to be if we have one of those just has to be a necessity, we need to do it’s going to be I truly believe and we will push it.

I have say that is the endangered species, because I think that is only going to get more and more important going into the future. So hey K.J., one of the thing to talk about then, of course, you know, we’re about two months out now from, one of my favorite summer events, the Midwest Ag Industries Exposition, also known as the MAGIE Show, which takes place in Bloomington, Illinois.

So, tell me how, how things are progressing for the event and how IFCA is getting ahead in its planning for what’s going to be taking place in the middle of August. Y

KJ: I got to thank, Leslie in our office. She runs the show, and I just help, fill in the gaps where it need to be.

But the show is coming along. We got a lot of great vendors. There’s still maybe a couple spots left. If somebody still would like to be a vendor at MAGIE. But this year’s dates are August 20th and 21st, and it’s always at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, Illinois. We’re just right off the interstate. It’s easy to access.

Registration is already open. If you go to IFCA.com, you can register right now and get ahead of any lines, but you can pay at the door also. But we’ve been talking to a lot of vendors. I think there’s going to be a lot of new, great technologies. I think there’s going to be a couple of new releases at the MAGIE Show, so we’re super excited, and now we’re just praying for good weather like we had last year for the show.

ES: I was going to say, in all the years I’ve gone to the MAGIE Show. I’ve been going since 2001. I think I remember one year where it happened to rain the whole event. But, you know, usually they’re just they’re typically they’re very warm. I mean, yeah, Illinois and August. It’s like, I’ve been to some MAGIEs where the heat index has been well over 100 degrees.

And by the end of the the day of the event, you know, my what? We’re white socks are a sort of a charcoal gray because of all the, perspiration, humidity and dust. So. Yeah. And we had two different ones. 23 was about as hot as they came, and then, 24 was about as beautiful as it could be.

KJ: It could have been. So we were very lucky last year. And just praying to the good Lord we have more weather like, 24 than rather than 23. Amen and amen. So, hey, one of the things that goes on at the Maggie show, of course, I know there are awards handed out. I know our magazine CropLife IRON hands out the Showstopper award, which kind of goes to the Best in Show product.

And then the IFCA folks get together and determine which Booth is sort of the best, and they get the image award. But there is another award you’ve introduced recently, the Custom Applicator of the year. And I guess we now have the four finalists are going to be competing for that. So if you could share with our viewers who those four finalists are and when the actual big award will be handed out.

KJ: So first I got to thank Eric and, CropLife Media for helping us promote this. This has been a great award. We had a little over 40 applicants this year for the custom applicator Award. We do it on the Wednesday of MAGIE at the tailgate party at 330. We announce all the awards, but this has been one of the bigger awards we have for the custom applicators that in the stable, and we just don’t get the recognition.

We do other awards. And I know there’s other stuff that we recognize general managers or a plant manager, but if the guys in the cab that spray don’t do the job, then all our jobs are a lot harder at the end of the day, and we think we need to just recognize those guys that are doing the right thing out there.

So today we are releasing here at CropLife the names of the winners or sorry, the four finalist that will be recognized. And then we will give the winner and be announced at the MAGIE Show. So those four finalists are Clint Royer with West Central, West Point, Jeff Revit with Nutrien Ag Solutions in Galesburg, Cody Miller with United Prairie out of Cowden, and then Ed Smith with West Central RFS Adair.

ES: So those are our four finalists. They will all be at the Maggie Show. And again, that award will be given out Wednesday afternoon at the tailgate party at MAGIE. You know, very good. And of course, for our viewers who may not be able to make the show in person, you know, crop life ion through its website partner CropLife and also in print and our September-October edition of CropLife IRON magazine will be talking about the finalists and be announcing the winner as well. So if you, like I say, if you can’t make the event in person, just pay attention to us and we’ll let you know who the big winner ended up being. So and we will do more on social media.

Two part question for you. Yeah. As you, as you, as we get through the summer events and you get back to, Springfield and doing the legislative part of your job, as you as you’re looking forward through the rest of 25 and into 26, what are some of the first part of the question?

What are some of the big opportunities that ag and ag retailers will have as you, talk to your friends in Springfield for what’s coming up? I think first thing, we got to go back to the containers education. We’re going to be working a lot on the rules to get that through. That’s going to be a big part.

KJ: I think there’s going to be some other stuff that we’re going to have to, and I don’t know if it’s a an appetite. I think everything, everything is an opportunity. But we’re going to have to talk to more legislators about pesticide issues going on here in Illinois, but also kind of tackling that on the national level. The MAHA report that came out, the make Make America Healthy stuff.

I think we’re going to have to get out there and talk to legislators. But I think this is an opportunity to show what the industry is doing safely and why the products we use, we are we’re doing it. So I think those are some opportunities. I think we all will be on defense again. Maybe later this fall.

Next spring again, I think there will always be stuff that comes out on product bans. We had it this year. We had a roundup ban just with everything going on with the lawsuits with Bayer. But we’ve held off that. But there was also a 240 ban out there. So again, these are opportunities, if you look at it, to teach legislators why we’re using these products and why they’re good products.

We got a good, healthy, robust, system, how we get a product through us EPA and we just got to tell that story. Okay, I know and you know, along those lines when you’re talking about challenges, particularly on the pesticide part of the equation, I know that I’ve been getting press releases recently from a couple of states that have actually like passed legislation that recognize as the national standards for the labels.

And I know there’s a call now to have Congress step in, I think. But Bayer has, a petition before the Supreme Court to take up this issue. So, you know, first part a Illinois’s view on this. And then, you know, there’s some speculation on your part. Does the do we get some national standard that’ll become the way that the industry will operate versus the local labeling issues we’ve dealt with so far?

So the biggest thing we’ve always pushed here at IFCA and we have it in Illinois, but the 44 out of 50 states have pesticide preemption, meaning that Illinois or in Illinois, the Illinois Department aggregates in US. EPA it’s not local control. And we want that. I think every retailer needs to be watching what comes out. The Supreme Court on this Bayer decision, I think is very much what Bayer goes into the future.

What comes out of that decision? I just think it’s very you just need to watch it, what comes out, because they are looking at kind of more of a national standards. If EPA gives it approval, it means it is all safe. So we’re watching that very closely in the in the future. I think it’s it would be very hard here, to get a single, issue, or, legislative lawsuit stuff.

What they’ve looked at other states will bear has looked at other states and like North Dakota or Mississippi or Missouri. I just think the trial attorneys are too powerful. Hell no. No way to get that pass through. I would love to say we would get it through, but I just I just I don’t think that’s going to happen.

But I think we’re definitely gonna be watching one of the only piece of bad legislation. I think that happened this spring session in Illinois. That would pertain to our industry is Senate Bill 328. And what that would mean is that a, person could shop court to bring a lawsuit if a company is registered with this Illinois secretary of state.

But that company is based in Missouri like a bear. But something happened in Montana with a retailer or a farmer that’s going to sue bear over a lawsuit of roundup. They could bring that lawsuit to Illinois because bear is registered here. That is a very bad piece of legislation. Pennsylvania is the only other state that has this.

We are working the governor to veto that bill, but there will be very much if that goes through, you will see more lawsuits, probably on our products or anything bad legislatively come to Illinois and specifically probably courts down in the Madison County area. And that’s the East Saint Louis area and is a very bad piece of legislation. But we’re going to be watching more about what goes on with lawsuits with all our products.

ES: Wow. All right. Well, yeah. No thanks for sharing that. So yeah, hopefully our viewers pay attention of course, to, crap Life and to IFC for moving forward on that issue in particular. So, hey, K.J., then looking further into 2026 and of course, MAGIE the big, trade show you have during the summertime, but you also have your annual meeting, which takes place in January.

So, give us the lowdown on what the plans are for that at this point.

KJ: So those dates are it’s always the third week of January or Martin Luther King Week. We will this year will be January 20th, 21st and 22nd again at the Peoria Civic Center. It’s always a good show. We always have a great trade show and a lot of great speakers that come to that.

Talking about it, we’re kind of already, talking to who might come. One of the speakers that we have is going to be the National FFA president, and it’s based here in Illinois. His name’s Thad. He’s going to come and speak, but we’re also going to talk more about AI. But just what are recruitments going on with retailers?

And then talk about fertilizer markets. I mean, it’s a big issue that’s going on in Iran or Iran right now in Israel. That does going to affect the fertilizer market right now. Just with the passage of maybe just going through there, how does that going to affect. And so, I mean, we talk about it today and stuff can change very much from six months from now, but we’re going to have some great speakers just talking about the fertilizer markets.

But just going into the future. What does ag retail look like over the next 2 to 5 years? Yeah, and I know speaking for myself, I know I don’t take part in it because usually the, you know, I get a little priced out of it, but I do like the auction that you do on the floor. Yeah.

And we have a great auction. I have to thank all our sponsors. So our auction goes to our pack. We have it on the trade show floor on that Wednesday afternoon at 330. We have a lot of great stuff. Have some shotguns, have some stuff that’s pertaining to the business, a lot of great little things where people buy and a lot of custom stuff.