Illinois Local Food, Farms & Jobs Council -- still exist ??

27 views
Skip to first unread message

Debbie Hillman

unread,
Mar 3, 2015, 1:31:34 PM3/3/15
to AUA Agriculture for Urban, ILFFCoalition Farms Coalition Local Food and, illinoisfarmersmarkets
Hi, all --

I recently received a query about the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council's operations.  (See attached.)  Since I haven't seen any public announcement about the Council for some time, I wonder if it is still in operation -- still meeting, etc.   Specifically,

1.  EXIST?  Can anyone let me know the exact status of the Council?   When was the last Council meeting?  When was the last Executive Committee meeting?

2.  PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS?  If the Council is still meeting, where are meeting announcements, minutes, etc., being posted?
The official State of Illinois boards and commissions site lists the website as www.foodfarmsjobs.org, but that site does not appear to have recent information.

3.  CONVENE AND TRAIN LOCAL FOOD COUNCILS?  If the Council is still in existence, per Raychel's query does the Council actively "convene or train" other local food policy groups in the state?  Being a founder of the Council, I can state that this was one of the Council's intended functions, but I think that Raychel is looking for data on current activities.

Thanks for anyone's help.

-- Debbie

Debbie Hillman
Evanston, Illinois

D. Hillman Strategies:  Food Policy for Voters

...one day the woman who thinks will speak to us again, and everywhere there will be peace.
-- Paula Gunn Allen, Where I come From is Like This



Subject: Does the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council Organize/Train More Local FPCS?

Hi Debbie,

I work with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future's Food Policy Networks project. Thank you for answering my coworker's request for information last December (I put your response at the bottom of this message to refresh your memory).

As we have been refining the goal of this specific project, I was wondering if you could tell me if the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council - besides serving as a council of stakeholders to change state food policy - also serves as a convener or trainer of more local food policy groups in the state. 

We are trying to track which groups are performing such convening functions (see below for some examples). If you do play such a role with some of your local councils, would you be able to write a brief description like below so we can add it to our list?

We are not focusing solely on "state FPCs" but groups that network between more local FPCs across their state or region. 

Thank you,
Raychel


Raychel Santo 
Program Coordinator, Food Communities and Public Health
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Bloomberg School of Public Health

Wes King

unread,
Mar 3, 2015, 2:16:11 PM3/3/15
to illinoislocalfoods, AUA Agriculture for Urban, illinoisfarmersmarkets
Yes the Council still exists!

The Council has been meeting at least quarterly for years now along with executive committee calls when needed and possible between full council meetings. However, the Council is in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment as a result of having a new Governor here in Illinois and new staff at the Department of Agriculture.

The Council meeting notices, agendas and minutes have been posted on the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Open Meetings posting page since 2013. http://www.agr.state.il.us/about/openmeet/

Unfortunately, no one on the Council has had the capacity or resources to regularly update the website, we are in the slow process of getting the website pared back and linked up with the Department's open meetings act.

The next meeting is being held at the Good Food Festival March 19th, at 2pm Conference Room D at the UIC Forum and is open to the public. The next Council meeting will feature a presentation from Tyler Strom, project manager for The Food and Agriculture Road Map for IL (FARM IL) about aspects of the plan and map related to local food and sustainability as well as a policy update regarding food and farm legislation at the Illinois General Assembly.

WK




--
Wes King
Executive Director
Illinois Stewardship Alliance
"Local Food Matters"
 
*Support Illinois local food and farms - become a member today!

Debbie Hillman

unread,
Mar 4, 2015, 10:33:58 AM3/4/15
to Wes King, illinoislocalfoods, AUA Agriculture for Urban, illinoisfarmersmarkets
Hi, Wes --

Thanks for answering two of my three questions.   

Presumably the answer to my third question (the question from Johns Hopkins Food Policy Network) -- whether the Council currently convenes and/or trains local councils -- is "no".  

No need to respond unless this is incorrect.   (I'll wait until tomorrow, Thursday, to respond to Raychel's question, in case you or another Council member has something to add.)
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages