Despite Twin Crises, Illinois Farmer Envisions a Better Local Food Future
Today: Watch Livestream of Illinois House Hearing on Farm Funding Crisis
It takes a lot of fortitude to be a farmer. But Marty Thomas and Marikate Thomas of Kakadoodle farm have a special kind of resilience.
Over the past few years, the couple enjoyed steady growth in both their egg business and the e-commerce food hub that sells products from other sustainable regional farms as well as their own. But their work and lives have been disrupted by the double whammy of an avian flu outbreak that wiped out their flock, and the abrupt federal freeze on reimbursements of grants, such as the $200,000 allotment that was to enable them to repurpose an old barn into a distribution center for their online retail site.
There is no doubt that the twin crises have put Kakadoodle at financial risk, and the Thomases have reopened the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign that helped them address the avian flu situation, and there's a link to donate in this Local Food Forum article.
Yet the couple remains optimistic about the future of local food. This article contains Marty Thomas' essay about his vision of self-sufficient local food ecosystems supporting by growing consumer demand and less by government aid. Please read and share the article, and also please share your opinions about Marty's views and your own ideas.
Join Livestream for Tuesday's IL House Farm Funding Crisis Hearing
Sign Up for Illinois Stewardship Alliance's Watch Party
Local Food Forum on Saturday shared the breaking news that the Illinois House Agriculture Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday (March 11) to take testimony from farmers who are facing hardships because of actions by the administration in Washington, D.C. that include funding freezes and a tariff-driven trade war.
On Monday came the announcement by Illinois Stewardship Alliance — the state's leading policy advocate for the local food and farm community — that it will carry a livestream of the hearing, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. central.
This article has details and a link to register. The issues covered by the hearing are critical to the welfare of farmers, eaters and the local food ecosystem. Please join if you can.