While many farmers and eaters were slumbering, the 2025 legislative session came to a close at roughly 1:30am on Saturday morning.
As in years past, 2025 is another mixed bag of important wins for local food and regenerative agriculture programs and funding, with some devastating losses.
🥕 $2 million secured for a 3rd round of the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Act!
In a year where over $1 billion was cut from federal local food programs, the State of Illinois is investing and prioritizing local food systems again this year. These funds allow the Local Food Infrastructure Grant program to continue for a third year. The program provides grants to support the development of food hubs, commercial kitchens, processing facilities, mills, canneries and more that can help rebuild our local food system and get more food from Illinois farms to Illinois communities.
We are grateful to everyone who took action on this issue, and grateful to lawmakers for supporting local food and farms. As a result, you can expect greater availability and access to the locally-grown and value-added foods you love.
🐔 HB2196 Illinois Processing Exemptions PASSED!
This means more local chicken for you, and more opportunities for local and sustainable poultry farmers!
This member led, negotiated, and advocated legislation increases the number of poultry a farmer can process on farm and allows those poultry products to be sold at farmers markets. Previously, a lack of poultry processing facilities in Illinois made it difficult for Illinois farmers to get their birds processed and grow their businesses. The bill also eliminates the requirement that a person own an animal (not just poultry) for 30 days prior to processing for their own household use and that they cannot slaughter on the farm where the animal was purchased. Changing this piece of the law is especially important for communities of people who because of religious, cultural, or other traditions would like to process that animal themselves in accordance with their beliefs– such as halal and kosher. This will also provide an avenue for farmers to sell to these communities, which otherwise did not exist.
This is the first-ever policy win for the Alliance’s newly formed Livestock Caucus– what a powerful start! Now all that is needed is Governor Pritzker’s signature to make it official.
🍅 Illinois to invest more time and energy into Eliminating Food Deserts
The bill to create a Commission on Eliminating Food Deserts passed! The commission will review the effectiveness of current State-led efforts to eliminate food deserts in Illinois and advise the General Assembly on policy, funding, initiatives, and best practices for the elimination of food deserts.
🫑 Good Food Procurement on Hold as Task Force Studies Purchasing
The original bill aimed to establish a statewide Good Food Purchasing Program to increase transparency and prioritize local, healthy, sustainable, and fair food procurement in Illinois. After extensive negotiations led by the Illinois Food Justice Alliance, it was decided that more research was needed.
Instead, HJR27, the Good Food Task Force Joint Resolution, was introduced and passed. The Task Force will study how Illinois spends taxpayer dollars on food for state institutions and explore how to shift purchasing toward local and sustainable sources. Its findings and recommendations will help move Illinois closer to adopting a statewide good food purchasing policy.
🧑🏿🌾 Black Farmers and Growers Week Tradition Continues
Once again, state lawmakers passed a resolution to celebrate and honor Black Farmers Week. This spring marked the Third Annual Black Farmers and Growers Lobby Day. The event, organized by Rep. Sonya Harper, supported by Illinois Stewardship Alliance and partners, brought more than 100 farmers and advocates to the Capitol to raise awareness for the existence of Black farmers and growers in Illinois, their importance to a thriving local food system, and the unique challenges they face.
🌱 $300,000 Restored to the Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program
The popular cover crop reward program had faced a significant cut in the proposed state budget but thanks to your efforts, the funding was restored to $960,000! The program, led by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and supported by Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, helps and encourages farmers to plant cover crops. This restoration in funding will cover roughly 150,000 acres in cover crops.
As a result, you can expect to see more green fields as you drive down the highways this winter, which means more soil protected.
🛒 Improvements to the Illinois Grocery Initiative Grants HB2531:
Thanks to your support, meaningful improvements have been made to the Illinois Grocery Initiative Grant. Grant recipients are now eligible for increased technical assistance and can use funds to purchase new technology—such as upgraded POS systems. These small but significant changes will help businesses better participate in programs like SNAP and other food security initiatives by enabling them to update their POS and EBT systems, ultimately increasing access to fresh food.
More Work Ahead
🚜 Targeted investment needed for Illinois’ next generation of farmers
The Illinois Small Farmer Restoration Act has been introduced multiple times in recent years but has not passed into law. The goal of the bill is to create the Small Farmer Restoration Program which supports socially disadvantaged and small-scale farmers in Illinois, particularly by providing grants or technical assistance to help them access land, markets, and infrastructure.
It has gained backing from farmer advocacy groups and equity-focused coalitions that highlight the historical and systemic barriers facing BIPOC and beginning farmers.
Despite its setbacks, the repeated introduction of the bill has raised awareness and built a stronger coalition of advocates. Each session builds momentum and helps inform the farmers, eaters, food system leaders, and legislators about the need for a targeted investment needed for Illinois’ next generation of farmers.
🪱💧 Soil and Water Conservation District Funding remains reduced to $4.5 million
County Soil and Water Conservation Districts are essential local-level support for agriculture. The Alliance, members, supporters, and partners, like the Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, American Farmland Trust, Illinois Environmental Council, and the Illinois Soybean Association spent countless hours educating lawmakers on the impacts that Illinois farmers, land, water, and climate would feel SWCD’s funding was not restored to the level of $8.5 million. Unfortunately, the decision was made to keep the SWCD budget at $4.5 million.
The continued reduction of nearly half of SWCD budget will impact the 97 county offices and keep SWCD’s at pre-2000 funding levels.
As a result of this kind of disinvestment, you can expect to see more erosion of Illinois soils, dangerous dust storms, more pollution in Illinois waterways, and less habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Ultimately, there will be less resources available to help farmers steward their land.
🌻 Illinois misses the opportunity to create a sustainable funding mechanism for Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD’s) and Conservation Programs
SB2387, the Ag Impact Fee Bill, would have provided a sustainable funding solution to the budget cuts to county SWCDs.
This bill could have been a budget solution for SWCD’s by creating a land conversion fee, paid only by developers, on farmland converted for renewable energy, industrial, commercial, housing, or other development. The first $10 million would support county Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) operations, with additional funds benefiting soil health and water quality programs.
If passed, in its first year, the fee would have generated over $10 million in non-taxpayer funds for SWCD’s.
In such a tight budget year, it’s disappointing that a bill that provides a much needed conservation funding solution, and one that asked nothing of taxpayers, with nearly 50% of Senate members co-sponsoring, did not pass. But we are ready to work with members and partners again next year to find a solution.
Thank you for all of the emails and calls you made and support you provide to move these solutions through the legislature – you made a powerful impact!