Regarding “Farmers urge investments in environmental justice” (Feb. 1): I was pleased to see Adriana Perez’s story regarding Illinois farmers going to Washington to voice support for various initiatives, especially equity and environmental justice issues, in the Farm Bill.
Everyone should pay attention to the Farm Bill since it’s a huge amount of federal spending and includes nutrition and food security programs, in addition to agriculture.
As a co-leader of Edible Evanston and an urban grower myself, I know we need programs to support local urban farmers, especially those working on food security. It’s possible to grow food in and around the city of Chicago, and the Farm Bill can help. I’m part of an effort to grow food here and get it to those in need through food pantries. We have a shortage of nutritious food grown in healthy soil.
Past Farm Bills have directed too few resources to small farmers, diverse operations, racially diverse farmers and farmers using organic and regenerative practices to protect our soil and water. It’s crucial we change where dollars go, from subsidies for the largest farmers and those operations not interested in protecting the planet and communities, to programs that can provide a resilient, just food system.
Black farmers have experienced decades of discrimination from the federal government and from lenders, leading to many fewer Black-owned farms today. The Illinois Stewardship Alliance and others are taking a lead in asking the federal government and the state of Illinois to change policy and help Black farmers with land, economic support and training. We’ll also need to gather data to see if changes are supporting racial equity.
Small farms and diverse operations — the farms that actually supply our food — need support, including for beginning farmers’ access to land and capital. To grow food successfully in Illinois, we also need long-term federal support of infrastructure for processing and distribution to get food from farms to markets, especially markets in economically disadvantaged areas.
To keep growing food on this planet, we need to protect the soil it grows in and, by doing so, the water we all depend on. We need to protect biodiversity, including our native insects and pollinators. To do this, we’ll need money and incentives in the Farm Bill for conservation programs, cover crops and other “climate-smart” practices.
Once again, we’ll also need to fund research and education to be sure farmers know the best practices.
— Tim Sonder, co-leader, Edible Evanston
Our local food supply has shrunk over the past 40 years as big agribusiness has taken over farmland and the supply chain has become a highly exploitive, nontransparent, consolidated behemoth. To be more equitable, we need to support small local farmers. Support for existing small local farmers and new farmers who are just beginning is a crucial piece of building a resilient local food supply. Support for local farmers who use regenerative farming practices promotes environmental health and sustainability.
Regenerative agriculture uses practices like no-till, diverse cover crops and animal integration to draw down carbon from the air and return it to the soil where it belongs — all without the use of chemicals or genetically modified organisms. This mitigates climate change and creates healthier and more productive soil. Regenerative farmers, ranchers and ocean farmers who practice holistic management are the key not only to our food security but also to the future of our planet.
The economic and environmental instability of America’s food system is tied directly to the agricultural issues we face — soil loss, water depletion, climate change and pesticide use.
I am grateful to the small Illinois farmers and the Illinois Stewardship Alliance members who traveled to Washington to address these issues that are central to and significant in the new Farm Bill.
The future of our food system determines the future of humankind.
— Kim Nolen, Redbird Cafe, Homewood
Our friends, fellow farmers and Illinois citizens recently traveled to Washington to represent us — Illinois farmers, eaters and local food champions — and advocate for the upcoming Farm Bill. Given our busy winter farm schedule, we couldn’t be more grateful for their representation.
Wait, farmers are busy in the winter?
Yes, you’d be amazed at the tenacity of local regenerative farmers, nonprofits and local school districts working together to better our food system throughout the year.
For example, our farmers are harvesting winter spinach, awaiting the first batch of baby chicks and staffing our newly opened Liberty Prairie Farm Store.
Within less than a mile of our 94-acre organic farm, our Liberty Prairie Farm Store features 30 local producers, with a plan to expand the store to feature more farms and local food products, all producing food from within 250 miles of Grayslake.
We imagine a future where people, plants and animals thrive together; communities have access to local, high-quality food and nature, regardless of where people live; and people can choose holistic lifestyles and sustainable solutions to modern problems and pursue the opportunities they desire.
Regenerative farmers are an essential part of this vision, and they need policies and resources to support their land stewardship that benefit the long-term health of our precious Illinois soils and our climate. However, regenerative farmers cannot be the only answer to improving health. We also need a supportive health care system and educational system that encourages land stewardship for long-term climate resilience.
Our goal is for Midwestern families to have access to Midwestern food year-round. We need support for local farming and regenerative agriculture in Illinois.
— Karen Wilkes, executive director; Jen Miller, managing director; and Jeff Miller, managing director, Liberty Prairie NFP
Thank you for the timely article on the value of Illinois farmers visiting Capitol Hill to talk with legislators about the 2024 Farm Bill. While it’s important for the needs of farmers to be represented in the bill, few realize how sprawling and impactful the bill is beyond rural areas.
From food assistance programs, to supporting some crops over others, e.g., such as corn for ethanol instead of nutrient-rich food for people, the Farm Bill helps determine our choices at the grocery store.
Thank you to the Tribune for highlighting farmers who are advocating for policies that help farmland become a reason for hope and a source of solutions.
In my 15 years of involvement in food and farming, I have never been as excited about the possibilities, especially as they relate to providing “carrots” for farmers to help restore nature while providing food options for eaters. Better policies can lead to cleaner water, lower health care costs, and stronger and more resilient rural economies.
As someone who works with eaters, I love the idea of making better food choices more available to all, especially for kids. Thank you for helping connect rural and urban communities!
— Tim Magner, director, Nature’s Farm Camp, Caledonia, Illinois
My strong hope is that Congress will take seriously the changing face of farming throughout this country and pass a farm bill that empowers first-generation farmers, farmers of color and particularly Black farmers who have been left out for centuries from the wealth that agriculture has built in this country.
I have farmed in Chicagoland for nearly 10 years and know firsthand that this work can change your life, even more so when it’s possible to make a good living from it.
I am deeply grateful for the work of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and the Chicago Food Policy Action Council to further a Farm Bill that can rev up the economic engine of agriculture in this region and this state. I strongly call on members of the Illinois House Caucus to sponsor House Resolution 3955, a bipartisan bill that would support targeted land access throughout the state, and further our state’s status as the best agricultural state in the union.
— Jason Halm, Oak Park