Government Center  
719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A  
Geneva, IL 60134  
Kane County  
KC Agriculture Committee  
Meeting Minutes  
KENYON, Roth, Allan, Juby, Lenert, Sanchez, Williams, ex-officios Pierog (County Chair) and  
Tepe (County Vice Chair)  
Thursday, May 23, 2024  
10:30 AM  
County Board Room  
1.  
2.  
Call To Order  
Chairman Kenyon called today's meeting to order at 10:30 a.m.  
Roll Call  
Board Member Michael Kenyon  
Board Member Leslie Juby  
Board Member Bill Lenert  
PRESENT  
Board Member Jarett Sanchez  
Board Member Deborah Allan  
Board Member Rick Williams  
Board Member Bill Roth  
REMOTE  
ABSENT  
Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog  
Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Vern Tepe  
Also present: Co. Bd. members Bates*, Kious*, Lewis, Linder*, Molina*; KCFB Mgr.  
Arnold; Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff and staff Tansley and Castro. Environ. & Water Res. Dir.  
Wollnik; Spec. ASA Shepro; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public,  
including Pres. & Chief Operating Officer of Superb Meats Joe Pomaranski.  
3.  
4.  
Remote Attendance Requests  
Chairman Kenyon announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting. He  
asked the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Members Allan and  
Williams attending the meeting remotely. There were no objections.  
Approval of Minutes: April 18, 2024  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Bill Lenert  
5.  
6.  
Public Comment (Agenda Items)  
None.  
Public Comment (Non-Agenda Items)  
None.  
7.  
Partners  
Kane County Farm Bureau Updates (Steve Arnold, Manager)  
A.  
KCFB Mgr. Arnold stated that his team will be announcing the 24 scholarship  
winners in June's 2024 Kane County Farmer brochure. He announced that Fay's  
Drive-Thru Barbecue will be held at the Kane County Farm Bureau parking lot  
today from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Arnold noted that Farm Bureau Members who  
attend the Kane County Fair in July and bring a Farm Bureau coupon it will be  
redeemed for a free ice cream cone. Lastly, Arnold stated that the Illinois  
General Assembly is finishing up the Spring Legislative Session for the Farm  
Preservation Act. He stated that the current Estate Tax Exemption under Illinois  
Law is $4M. If a farm estate exceeds $4M, farmers will have to pay the state tax  
on the first dollar. He noted that there is legislation that would raise the Estate  
Tax Exemption to $6M for farmers, and the tax would begin after the $6M  
threshold.  
8.  
Presentations/Announcements  
Livestock Market Assessment Key Takeaways (Matt Tansley, Planner)  
A.  
Dev. Planner Tansley announced that the Livestock Market assessments have  
been finalized. He stated that the purpose of system capacity models is to  
identify constraints in the local livestock production supply chain that inhibit the  
system's ability to fulfill consumer demand. A qualitative analysis examines  
narrative feedback for core stakeholder groups such as farmers, processors,  
and buyers, to prioritize issues affecting how the local livestock market functions.  
A quantitative analysis examines the effect of land access and processing  
capacity on the local livestock market based on available data. Tansley  
highlighted the market access goals and strategies which include correcting the  
value-chain misalignment between producers and processors, develop a skilled  
workforce in meat processing, and support farm and processor growth and  
expansion. Tansley addressed questions and comments from the Committee.  
Discussion ensued.  
Pres. & Chief Operating Officer of Superb Meats Joe Pomaranski shared  
information about his wholesale food distributor in Wisconsin. He stated that the  
company currently manufactures 20 truckloads of ground beef each month, and  
15 truckloads of ground chicken for the Feeding America Network.  
Water Resources Updates (Jodie Wollnik, Director)  
B.  
Environ. & Water Res. Dir. Wollnik announced that the Development  
Department signed a grant agreement with Hey and Associates, Inc. to conduct  
three demonstration projects on local farms to show the types of practices to  
other farmers. Wollnik stated that she will have updates on those  
demonstrations at the next Committee meeting.  
Farmland Protection Program Applications (Sarahy Castro, Farmland  
Preservation Administrator)  
C.  
D.  
Farmland Preservation Adm. Castro announced that Kane County Protected  
Farmland celebrated their 23rd year on April 10th. She shared several slides  
showing zoning information on the two farmland applicants in Kane County.  
Castro stated that the application provides the opportunity to address land  
conservation, along with habitat protection, water quality, and soil health.  
Amendment to Ellen Kamps Contract Resolution (Mark VanKerkhoff, Director)  
Dev. Dir. VanKerkhoff stated that earlier this year the Development Department  
asked for qualified agricultural consultants to assist in the request for a proposal  
(RFP). New Venture Advisors (NVA) and Ellen Kamps were approved as  
qualified contractors by the County Board. He noted that two Farmland  
Preservation project's will be shifting from NVA to Ellen Kamps, and for this  
reason those budgets need to be adjusted accordingly. The total not-to-exceed  
amount will change from $170K to $290K for budgeting additional services  
under the existing contract. VanKerkoff recommended approval. He addressed  
questions and comments from the Committee. Discussion ensued.  
9.  
New Business  
Approving Two Applicants for Protection Through the Farmland Protection  
A.  
Program  
KC Executive Committee  
RESULT:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Executive Committee  
Bill Lenert  
TO:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
Jarett Sanchez  
Michael Kenyon, Deborah Allan, Leslie Juby, Bill Lenert, Jarett  
Sanchez, and Rick Williams  
AYE:  
Bill Roth, Corinne M. Pierog, and Vern Tepe  
ABSENT:  
Amending a Contract with Ellen Kamps to Provide Additional Food and  
Agriculture Project Consulting Services  
B.  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
RESULT:  
TO:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
Jarett Sanchez  
MOVER:  
Michael Kenyon  
SECONDER:  
Michael Kenyon, Deborah Allan, Jarett Sanchez, and Rick  
Williams  
AYE:  
Leslie Juby, and Bill Lenert  
NAY:  
Bill Roth, Corinne M. Pierog, and Vern Tepe  
ABSENT:  
Amending the Growing for Kane Fund FY2024 Budget to Account for the Land  
Transfer Navigator Grant Program  
C.  
KC Finance and Budget Committee  
RESULT:  
TO:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Executive Committee  
Jarett Sanchez  
MOVER:  
Bill Lenert  
SECONDER:  
Michael Kenyon, Deborah Allan, Leslie Juby, Bill Lenert, Jarett  
Sanchez, and Rick Williams  
AYE:  
Bill Roth, Corinne M. Pierog, and Vern Tepe  
ABSENT:  
10.  
Reports Placed On File  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Jarett Sanchez  
11.  
12.  
Executive Session (if needed)  
None.  
Adjournment  
RESULT:  
APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE  
Bill Lenert  
MOVER:  
Jarett Sanchez  
SECONDER:  
This meeting was adjourned at 11:26 a.m.  
Rachel Santora  
Recording Secretary