An End of Year Appeal and a Fundraising Dinner
Learn what's up with Illinois Stewardship Alliance and The Evolved Network
Icing on the Lake
Less than a week ago, Belmont Harbor and Lake Michigan beyond were ice-free. A few days of a bitter cold wave changed that pretty quickly. First the harbor got a coating, then just during the day today, the lake got a white frosting.
This icing won’t last long though. The forecast for Thursday shows a high temperature of 50 degrees, an extreme turnabout even for Chicago’s very changeable weather. And the long-term forecast shows that will kick off an extended period, into the week past New Year’s, of highs in the 40s.
The weather here can be good or bad, but it’s seldom boring.
There are pretty pictures of the Christmas Day sunrise and sunset after these messages from a couple of our great food nonprofits.
Support the Illinois Stewardship Alliance
If you’re a regular reader, you know I love a big farmers market haul. Earlier this year I learned from Illinois Stewardship Alliance that farmers who sell meat, eggs and dairy at farmers markets face a complicated and expensive process that requires them to obtain a permit in each county where they want to sell their products.
This cost farmers time and money, and discouraged them from selling at farmers markets in different Illinois counties. That’s bad news for those of us who love local food.
The good news is that farmers came together to create a workable solution and led a successful campaign to change state policy.
Read the inspiring story — providing by Illinois Stewardship Alliance — of a farmer who led the effort to pass the new Farmers Market Permit Act, and consider supporting Illinois Stewardship Alliance with a tax-deductible donation or by becoming a member. Your generosity will advance the Alliance’s work to provide farmers and eaters with the tools, training and community they need to make lasting change in the food system.
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Ed Dubrick didn’t set out to be a leader. He and his wife Lindsey grow produce and raise 2,000 meat birds, 100 turkeys and 80 laying hens at DuChick Ranch in Illinois’ Iroquois County.
It’s no small feat for the couple, who in addition to operating the ranch, also work fulltime jobs while raising their daughter. But Ed says he and Lindsey take great pride in being self-sufficient and they raise as much of their own food as possible.
“For us, the satisfaction we receive from growing our own food is unmatched,” he told us. “We are equally excited to be able to share this joy and piece of our life with our friends, neighbors and community.”
But when Ed wanted to expand his business to sell produce, chicken, turkey and eggs, he quickly hit a wall. As Ed sought to expand sales at farmers markets in neighboring counties, he discovered that each county had a maze of rules to navigate.
“I didn’t realize every time you cross a county line, you’re dealing with a new health department and a different license,” Ed said. “It’s a new set of rules.”
And a new set of fees. In many cases, counties charged Ed’s small farm the same permit fee as a brick-and-mortar grocery store, even though he sells only a few weeks each year. Sometimes it was more expensive for him to sell at a farmers market than to sell wholesale to a grocery store or a restaurant.
One county official even told him he should stick to selling at markets in his own county and not bother applying to sell in others.
He decided enough was enough.
Ed voiced his frustration to fellow farmer members at a meeting of Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s Local Food Farmers Caucus. He outlined the confusing, exhaustive and expensive legwork required to apply for licenses, obtain certifications and deal with different fee structures to sell meat, eggs and dairy products at farmers markets.
He found he wasn’t alone. Other small farmers and livestock producers faced the same challenge navigating and adapting their business operations (and budget) to comply with different county regulations. All the red tape stifled small farms and hindered access to fresh local food.
Farmers rallied to come up with solutions that would work for them and keep meat, eggs and dairy safe to sell at farmers markets across county lines. They researched how other states address the issue, identified more directly impacted livestock producers, and debated the best way forward.
Their work became the Farmers Market Permit Act.
At the Alliance’s Annual Meeting in 2021, members voted it as the primary issue to win. Then real work began.
Ed and Alliance farmers formed a campaign team and set off to draft state legislation. Ed knew that stakeholder input was key. This part was worrisome. What if there was strong opposition and the bill died before it even got off the ground? What if the whole thing was gutted and it didn’t have the solutions that farmers want?
That’s why Ed turned to the Alliance in the first place: He felt confident that we bring farmer-led solutions to the table, negotiate with stakeholders and policymakers, and mobilize eaters to make change on local food and farm issues.
Alliance organizers helped the campaign team think through the elements of planning a successful campaign, build relationships with allies who would support the bill, and identify key lawmakers who could champion the bill, and provided guidance on the legislative process.
Backed by the Alliance, Ed and the team negotiated with public health agencies and other stakeholders to ensure their solutions were thoughtful and viable. Not all wishes could be granted, but after several rounds of edits and fine-tuning, stakeholders agreed on the legislation.
With the Illinois Farmers Market Association and other allies on board, Ed and the campaign team shared their stories and educated lawmakers on the need for action.
When the bill came up in committee, Ed was best suited to testify. “I was so nervous,” he recalled, “It was over Zoom and I had my daughter with me, and I was so afraid she was going to start screaming.”
Fortunately, the bill sailed through the committee before he even had a chance to speak.
Those of us who don’t love public speaking (be it in-person or via video call) can imagine Ed’s relief (and joy!) to hear that the Farmers Market Permit Act — something that he had conceptualized and worked so hard on — would be signed into law. And it was, in June.
The Farmers Market Permit Act now makes it easier for you to find local meat, eggs and dairy products at your farmers’ market.
For farmers, it creates a new type of permit designed specifically for regulating the sale of meat, eggs, dairy and refrigerated foods at farmers markets. No longer would small farms be treated like brick-and-mortar retail stores. The law also caps licensing fees to an affordable rate and creates consistency between counties, enabling farmers to reach new customers.
Truly, a win-win for farmers and eaters!
Ed told us that before he found the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, he was just someone who complained about food policies without any real avenue to try to address them. “Thank you for lighting a fire in me,” he said, “and providing the means to make substantive change."
The process is collaborative, often slow, and arduous. But it’s meaningful, impactful and long lasting.
That’s because big change — the kind that really makes a difference toward building the food system we all want and deserve — begins with folks like you who care most.
You can build on our momentum to make big changes in Illinois’ food and farming by making a tax-deductible gift or becoming a member of the Alliance by the end of 2022 this coming Saturday.
Your gift supports farmers such as Ed who are working on real, impactful solutions to make our shared vision for a just and regenerative food system possible.
You will also join a statewide alliance of farmers and eaters who promote local food, build climate resilience, address racial inequity in the food system — and most importantly, shape better food policies for a healthier, regenerative and equitable local food system for all.
This Evolved Network Dinner Honors Dr. King
The Evolved Network — the Chicago nonprofit that seeks to provide farm-to-table restaurant and urban farming training, business skills and therapeutic counseling to underserved youths — today announced its latest fundraising dinner.
“Let Freedom Ring: The Civil Rights of Food,” will take place at Uvae Kitchen & Wine Bar in the Andersonville neighborhood (5553 N. Clark) on the evening of Monday, January 16, coinciding with the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.
The dinner will feature five courses prepared by Sebastian White — chef, clinical psychologist and founder/executive director of The Evolved Network — and Chef Q. Ibraheem, with optional wine pairings selected by Lindsey Anderson, Uvae’s chef-owner.
Click the button below for more info and to order tickets.