Jenny Webb became president of the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association effective July 20, filling a seat that had been open since the end of 2025, when KJ Johnson left to become director of government relations at the Illinois Soybean Association.
Webb arrived after the spring legislative session — and the bills that came with it — but she’s made getting up to speed with the policy priorities a focus.
Agribusiness itself isn’t new to her. Webb comes to IFCA from the Illinois Farm Bureau, where she most recently served as associate director of industry affairs, following earlier roles in membership and leadership development and in government affairs. What’s new is the constituency: roughly 1,000 businesses and individuals — ag retailers, fertilizer and agrichemical manufacturers, distributors, equipment suppliers and related service providers.
The Notification Bill
Among the measures that surfaced in the spring was a proposal requiring advance notice — a 24- to 72-hour window — before pesticide applications near parks, schools, daycares and similar locations.
For applicators, the objection isn’t philosophical. It’s a calendar problem.
“We know in the industry that responsible application decisions are made on the day of, based on weather conditions, based on wind speeds,” Webb says. “And so unfortunately, that notification window just isn’t practical for the ag retail industry.”
Notification legislation isn’t unique to Illinois, and retailers in other states are likely to see some version of it.
“That’s one of the bills that we are looking to help protect our members from,” she says — “regulations that might not be practical for their business.”
Who’s In The Room
Webb says IFCA maintain an important voice in the industry and for the industry.
“Not everyone in ag retail has their own government affairs team,” she says. “Some of the bigger companies do, of course, but some of the smaller ag retail locations don’t have representation in Springfield. And so that’s where IFCA comes in to represent those members and advocate for them.”
The Distance Problem
Pressed on how rural business gets interpreted at the statehouse, Webb doesn’t reach for the usual complaint about legislators who don’t understand agriculture. She uses herself as the example instead.
“Each generation is getting further and further removed from the farm,” she says. “My great grandparents were farmers, but that doesn’t mean that I knew a lot about farming getting into my career.”
Many elected officials, she notes, represent districts that don’t border a farm field at all. “They’re not exposed to that. And so we as an industry need to do a good job of making sure that those folks understand the issues that our industry faces.”
The Showcase
Weeks after her arrival at IFCA, Webb and her team hosted MAGIE. Now in its 45th year, the show is built for custom applicators and retail employees, and its ride-and-drive exhibit lets attendees get into equipment cabs instead of reading spec sheets.
“They can go back to their locations and kind of have an idea of what they’re looking for,” Webb says.
Attendance reaches well past Illinois — the parking lot this year included plates from Ontario. For Webb, that reach is the point: “It showcases the professionalism of the industry and the continuous education that people are looking to find.”
