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September, 2009

GRANTS AND OTHER UPDATES ON THE AGRICULTURAL FRONT

In this Issue:

    Specialty Crops; Growers and Consumers
    Agriculture Key Sector Page Launch

Specialty Crops; Growers and Consumers


Illinois is making progress in its effort to increase the production of healthy foods and to connect producers with customers.

In a month when it seems it would take the Hubble telescope to find signs of hope and civility, they can be found in the agricultural sector. That may sound like “surely you jest” news to farmers who have been flooded-out or otherwise deprived of financial security, but stay with me on this. Many of the hopeful signs come from locally driven initiatives, but some flow from the USDA and ARRA.
On July 27th of this year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture issued a news release announcing a $435,000 grant from the UDSA to help specialty crop growers and to make their product more readily available to consumers. Closing date for application was Monday, August 3rd at 4 p.m.

Specialty crop growers and consumers are probably heartened to see the USDA acting on the connection between diversified food availability and good health. It will be interesting to learn how the grants translate into improved competitiveness and availability of specialty crops to consumers.

In a related news item, the USDA released a June 2009 publication entitled Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food - Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress. Kudos to USDA for addressing the link between affordability and accessibility to the occurrence of food deserts.

You may recall our March 2009 article which showcased community gardens, particularly those in Chicago and surrounding areas. These good folks have continued their efforts on behalf of growers and consumers. If you read through the above mentioned USDA report, you will learn that food deserts affect both urban and rural citizens. In an effort to change those statistics for Chicago residents, GreenNet has developed a very useful website to connect residents to all things good and green. Check the site to locate community gardens in the Chicago area.

The University of Illinois Extension has a great website filled with links to Sustainable Agriculture information, assistance for beginning farmers, Illinois Farm Direct farmer/consumer connections, workshop opportunities, available grants, farmers’ market calendars, and much more.

The 5th National Small Farm Conference is scheduled for September 15th through the 17th in Springfield, IL. The Pre-Conference Short Courses, including grant writing, computer literacy, and start-up challenges, look particularly interesting.

Finally, if you have not had an opportunity to visit a farmers’ market in your area, don’t miss out on the best locally grown food you will ever eat. Please view the links below to connect with a farmers’ market near you. These links also provide information for those seeking marketing venues.


Agriculture Key Sector Page Launch


The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has been working on a statewide initiative to change the image of Agriculture and help supply the talent that it needs. Agriculture has been identified as a Key Sector, referring to industries that have significant job openings or affect the growth of other industries.

Illinois workNet has just recently launched the Agriculture Key Sector Page. The agriculture page is dynamic and customizable with Career Pathways based on the 16 Career Clusters, Job Openings, Training Programs, Free Branding Pages, Free Job postings through our partnership with CareerBuilder, and Regional Economic Snapshots displaying real time labor market information (LMI).

In addition to the great resources available on the Agriculture Key Sector Page, organizations such as Vision for Illinois Agriculture, the Farm Business Development Center and the iBIO Institute have partnered up with Illinois workNet to help business owners develop their entrepreneurial skills, students research career options, and communities collaborate.

If you are looking for a way to attract capital, or maybe need support developing a successful family farm enterprise, the Agriculture Key Sector Page is the place for you. With over 2 million page views per month, Illinois worknet showcases your company or organization to the residents of Illinois. Find out how by creating your own free Key Sector Industry Branding Page, click here to learn more.




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