A six article spread in Crain's Chicago Business affirmed the importance of local food to the Illinois and regional economy. The lead article looked at the opportunity in Illinois with the passage of the Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act. If acted upon, the movement can jumpstart job creation and economic development by creating up to $30 billion in new statewide business activity.

Other articles looked at the need to finance local farms and food companies, the Chicago Public Schools initiative to purchase $1.8 million in local foods, Swedish Covenant Hospitals local and organic food program, the efforts of Goodness Greeness and others to increase production and distribution of local foods, and resources for those getting started in local food business.

FamilyFarmed.org worked with reporter Christina Le Beau on these articles and we are grateful to her and the editors of Crain's for this amazing series.

Click here to read all the articles.

Photos: Erik Unger

Excerpts from an article published in A Fresh Squeeze

Funded by the IL Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant, Ready to Grow: A Plan for Increasing Illinois Specialty Crop Production is a research, analysis and strategic planning project undertaken by  FamilyFarmed.org to identify the barriers to increased specialty crop production for wholesale markets in Illinois, devise workable solutions to resolve those barriers, and complete a feasibility assessment of achieving required input factors for infrastructure development in Illinois.  

A major milestone in the project took place on June 3 in Springfield, IL.  FamilyFarmed.org convened fruit and vegetable growers, major wholesale-level buyers, members of the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Council, and other stakeholders to discuss:

• Findings from the FamilyFarmed.org grower survey which returned 181 responses from IL growers
• Potential solutions to mitigate the barriers growers identified that prevent them from scaling up production and sales
• The feasibility of an aggregation center/ packhouse to mitigate many of the barriers identified, and,
• How such a packhouse could be integrated into other projects and initiatives around the state

Those present included growers
Johari Cole, Iyabo Farms*,
Adam DeGroot, Triple A Farms,
Galen and Penny Gathman,
Mark Meyer, Meyer Produce,
Chuck Paprocki, Dayempur Farm*, Nic and Melissa Roth, Roth Countryside Produce, and 
Tim Ryan.
 
Buyers and Distributors included Pat Bayor, Goodness Greeness,
Irv Cernauskas, Irv & Shelley's Fresh Picks*, Bill Connors,  Southern Illinois University, Chef Mark Dorian, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Greg Pallaske, US Foods, Sheldon Raber, Arthur Produce Auction, and Robbie Roberts, Sysco Central IL (Project Partner).

Other Advisors and Stakeholders included Wes King, IL Stewardship Alliance, Kathy Nyquist, FamilyFarmed.org (Project Partner), Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing, U of IL Extension,
Lindsay Record, IL Stewardship Alliance * (Project Partner),
Mike Roegge, U of IL Extension, and Gary Tomlin, Knox County Economic Development*.
 
*IL Local Foods Farms and Jobs Council Members at large included Jim Braun, Coordinator, Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Extension,
Lonnie Doan, 1st Farm Credit Services, Bob Heuer, Consultant,
Ray Lenzi, SIUC Office of Economic and Regional Development, Margie Sawicki, St. Louis University, Jim Slama, FamilyFarmed.org (Project Director), and Sandra Streed, Illinois Center for Food Safety and Technology.

A key takeaway from the meeting is that there is strong interest in an aggregation and distribution system in Illinois. Opportunity exists to create aggregation
hubs in the south, central and northern areas of the state. 

FamilyFarmed.org and project partners will now produce a report, the Ready to Grow Action
Plan, which will present recommendations for mitigating barriers to increased Illinois specialty crop production for
wholesale markets in Illinois.
 
FamilyFarmed.org and project partners, in conjunction with buyers and growers, will also identify input thresholds and
supply projections to publish a feasibility assessment for achieving required input factors for private investment in
infrastructure development in Illinois.  
 
Both reports will be published in late June/early July.  Please stay tuned for your chance to download the reports.