Illinois Stewardship Alliance

09/02/2026

📣 We want to hear from you!

We are gathering feedback from Illinois farmers and local food businesses about the Local Food Infrastructure Grant (LFIG), whether you applied, received an award, or decided not to apply.

We want to hear what your experience was like. Your feedback can help improve the program for farmers and local food businesses around the state.

👉 Take the 3-minute survey by Tuesday, Sept. 8:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWi0rDFt2z1uSJFu4TRFzt60InV7mxRb4kiuWMZZnY6qg63w/viewform

Know someone who applied? Share this post and encourage them to participate too!

09/01/2026

Today, we join so many others in mourning the passing of Wendell Berry.

Farmer. Writer. Poet. Thinker. Defender of land, community, and the people who care for both.

For generations, Berry challenged us to think more deeply about what we owe the places we call home, the land that sustains us, and one another. He warned of the costs of an increasingly industrialized food system while reminding us that farms and rural communities are about more than production. They are places of work, knowledge, belonging, and relationship.

His ideas helped shape conversations about sustainable agriculture, family farms, conservation, local economies, and what it means to build a life rooted in community.

At a moment when we are asking difficult questions about the future of our farm and food system, his work remains as relevant as ever.

Wendell Berry has passed on, but the questions he asked us to consider, and the responsibility he urged us to accept, remain.

May we continue the work of caring for the land, strengthening our communities, and building a food system worthy of the people who depend on it. 🌾

Thank you, Wendell.



Read more about Berry's life here:

A lover of forests, the farmer, author and former English professor died on Thursday, according to his family and the New York Times. He was 92.

09/01/2026

‼️HAPPENING TOMORROW

Who holds the power in America’s farm and food system?

Join us Wednesday, September 2 at 7 PM for the second webinar in our Cultivating Competition series, featuring Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry.

We'll explore:
🌾 How corporate consolidation reshaped our food system
🏢 What happens when too much power sits in too few hands
💪 What it will take to challenge that power
🌱 Why Austin sees reason for optimism
🤝 How all of us can help build a different future

This conversation isn't just about understanding what's wrong. It's about understanding what we can do about it.

Have a burning question for Austin? Submit it when you register!

📅 Wednesday, Sept. 2
⏰ 7 PM
💻 Online via Zoom

👉 Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/-LlJGDwXsUiAYAdT7FmCMA2?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=Monopolies/&ms=fborganic

08/29/2026

“Cottage foods helped save our family farm”- Fever Sweets

In 2021 Illinois Stewardship Alliance members, in partnership with The Illinois Environmental Council, and the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship passed the Home-to-Market act, changing cottage food regulations to allow farmers and bakers across the state the ability to build their businesses from their home kitchens.

That one simple change spurred the growth of thousands of small businesses across Illinois and supported hundreds of family farms!

Farms like Cabin Fever Sweets, a 400 acre corn and soybean farm which started milling their own flour and making maple syrup as a way to earn income during tough farming years.

Today we spent the morning at the Peoria Riverfront Farmer's Market filming, talking with vendors, and recording stories from farms and food businessses for a short film that highlights the impacts of good legislation and what it looks like when everyday people come together to create change 💪

Policy Director Molly Pickering shared “The law was written by people who were directly impacted. We literally opened a word document and started writing the law together. All of a sudden people who didn’t feel like they had power suddenly did. That’s what makes it great.”

Shout out to Senator Dave Koehler and Representative Will Guzzardi who went to bat for this legislation. Stay tuned! More behind the scenes photos, stories, and full video coming soon!

08/21/2026

🌾 Pesticide drift doesn't always stay where it's sprayed.

A new story from Illinois Public Media Newsroom examines how dicamba can travel for miles, damaging crops and trees and potentially cutting into farmers' bottom lines.

At Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, farm manager John Williams says dicamba damage has contributed to significant losses in crops including peppers and tomatoes. Researchers and advocates also point to the challenge of determining where drift originated and holding anyone accountable for the damage.

For farmers growing specialty crops, a drift event can mean lost flowers, lost fruit, and lost income.

It's an important look at the real-world impacts of pesticide drift in Illinois and the challenges farmers face when their crops are damaged.

📖 Read the full story from IPM Newsroom:
https://ipmnewsroom.org/pesticides-can-drift-for-miles-injuring-plants-that-can-hurt-farmers-bottom-line/

Have you experienced pesticide drift on your farm? We're collecting stories from Illinois farmers and growers. Share your experience through our pesticide drift story collection: https://ilstewards.org/2026/08/05/pesticide-drift-is-affecting-illinois-farms-your-story-could-help/

08/20/2026

📣 Did you apply for the Local Food Infrastructure Grant (LFIG)? Maybe you looked at applying and decided not to? We want to hear from you.

Whether you received an award, weren't selected, or somewhere in between, your experience can help improve the program for future applicants.

Illinois Stewardship Alliance is gathering feedback on the LFIG application and award process, including:

📝 Application timeline & requirements
💻 Online platform
🤝 Technical assistance & communication
💰 Award and reimbursement process
🌱 Project implementation and impact

If you received funding, we also want to hear about what the grant is making possible for your farm, food business, or community.

Your experience matters. Tell us what worked, what didn't, and what could be improved.

👉 Share your LFIG experience: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ox3_qva6XatoJdJSqc_xYVSJSaK1LM7lKqVnXLUVXPY

Know someone who applied? Tag them or share this post with them.

08/19/2026

Who holds the power in America’s farm and food system?

Our first Cultivating Competition webinar explored how we got here. Now, we're digging deeper into the corporations and people who hold that power, how they got it, and what we can do about it.

Join us Wednesday, September 2 at 7 PM for the second webinar in our series, featuring Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry.

We'll explore:
🌾 How corporate consolidation reshaped our food system
🏢 What happens when too much power sits in too few hands
💪 What it will take to challenge that power
🌱 Why Austin sees reason for optimism
🤝 How all of us can help build a different future

This conversation isn't just about understanding what's wrong. It's about understanding what we can do about it.

Have a burning question for Austin? Submit it when you register!

📅 Wednesday, Sept. 2
⏰ 7 PM
💻 Online via Zoom

👉 Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/-LlJGDwXsUiAYAdT7FmCMA2?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=Monopolies/&ms=fborganic

Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording afterward.

08/19/2026

🌱 Today we joined farmers, food system leaders, and community partners for a MapJam as part of the Illinois Asset Mapping Initiative from our friends at University of Illinois Extension.

We got a firsthand look at the Illinois Asset Map, talked through how farmers and food businesses could use it, and helped identify and vet the infrastructure that exists across our communities, from food hubs and processors to cold storage and commercial kitchens.

And we were especially glad to see so many folks from the Alliance community in the room: Glaciers End, Food Works of Southern Illinois, Greater Wabash Food Council, All Seasons Farm, Pink Tiger Farm, , and more! It was a great reminder that building a stronger local food system takes all of us working together.

Mapping the infrastructure we have today can help us identify the gaps we need to fill tomorrow. 🗺️🌾

Learn more about the Illinois Asset Mapping Initiative and explore the map: https://extension.illinois.edu/food-systems-hub/illinois-asset-mapping-initiative

08/17/2026

What if a $5 cabbage could become $70 worth of locally made food—and help keep a small farm in business? 🥬

That's what farmer Yui Alde of Microcosm Farm has been able to do through Illinois' cottage food law, turning vegetables grown on her farm in Shabonna, Illinois into kimchi, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods.

The cottage food law helped Yui build a thriving business from her home kitchen. But after eight years, she's ready to grow—and running into barriers.

Local farms want to sell her products in their farm stores, but can't. She'd like to ship her refrigerated products to customers across Illinois, but isn't allowed. And with few commercial kitchen options in her rural community, scaling up could require hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yui knows she isn't the only farmer facing these challenges—and we want to hear from you.

Are you a farmer or cottage food producer who has run into barriers growing your value-added business? Share your story and help us identify common challenges and organize around solutions.

👉 Read Yui's story and share yours:

Are you a farmer using Illinois' cottage food law to add value to your crops? Have you run into roadblocks that make it harder to grow your business?

08/17/2026

🌾 Despite a last minute shuffle from heavy rain and thunderstorms, we had a great day Friday celebrating Illinois farmers and food system leaders at the Illinois State Fair’s Agricultural Day!

This year, Illinois Stewardship Alliance was proud to recognize two outstanding farmer leaders whose work embodies the values of stewardship, community, and a stronger local food system.

🏆 Monte Bottens of Bottens Family Farm received the 2026 Woody Woodruff Conservation Award, honoring a farmer who carries forward Woody’s passion for healthy soil, clean water, and strong communities. Monte’s decades of conservation work, including no-till, cover crops, and livestock integration, demonstrate what it looks like to build a resilient farm for the future.

🏆 Christal J. Tarver of received the 2026 Local Food Changemaker of the Year Award for her leadership in growing Chicago’s local food economy and advocating for emerging and socially disadvantaged farmers. Christal’s work on HB4922 helped bring the experiences and needs of farmers directly into the policy process.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to spend the day with our members, celebrate their leadership, and recognize the farmers helping build a more just, local, and regenerative food system in Illinois.

Congratulations, Monte and Christal! 🌱