Government Center

719 S. Batavia Ave., Bldg. A

Geneva, IL 60134

Kane County

KC Agriculture Committee

Meeting Minutes

JUBY, Roth, Allan, Lenert, Penesis, Sanchez, Williams and ex-officio Pierog (County Chair)

Thursday, July 17, 2025 10:30 AM County Board Room

Call To Order

Chairman Juby called today's meeting to order at 10:50 AM.

Roll Call

Board Member Leslie Juby

Board Member Bill Roth

PRESENT

Board Member Deborah Allan

Board Member Bill Lenert

Board Member Ted Penesis

Board Member Jarett Sanchez

Board Member Rick Williams

ABSENT

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Also present: Co. Bd. members Arroyo*, Molina*; KCFB Mgr. Arnold, KCFB President

Dale Pitstick and Illinois Farm Bureau Manager Associate Ben Freehill; Dev. Dir.

VanKerkhoff and staff Tansley and Castro; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press

and public including Extension Program Educator Alexis Barnes, Executive Planner

and Farmland Protection Manager Janice Hill; Sustainable Agriculture & Food

Consultant Ellen Kamps, Kane-Dupage Soil and Water Conservation District Senior

Resource Analyst Isabella Borzeka, and former Board Member Mike Kenyon.

Remote Attendance Requests

There were no remote attendance requests for today's meeting.

Approval of Minutes: May 22, 2025

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Bill Roth

Public Comment

None.

Partners

Kane County Farm Bureau Updates (Steve Arnold, Manager)

Kane County Farm Bureau (KCFB) Mgr. Arnold introduced newly elected KCFB

Vice President Dale Pitstick and two new Directors Wayne Gehrke and Davis

Espe. He also introduced Illinois Farm Bureau Manager Associate Ben Freehill.

He stated that in June the KCFB rolled out the "Eat, Join, Win" promotion. There

are a total of 20 BBQ drive-thru events. You will receive a punch on your punch

card for every meal orded at Fay's Drive-thru BBQ, which will run till September

25, 2025. If you order 20 dinners before October 9, you will receive a

complimentary raffle ticket to win a vintage 1948 Willie's Jeep. In addition, there

were 25 college scholarships awarded for a total of $45K to students studying

careers in agriculture. The KCFB will be taking orders for fresh, Southern Illinois

peaches through August 13. Arnold stated that at the July Board meeting,

Carolyn Brummel and Jonathan Koepke to discuss wetlands and mitigation

banking. There will be a report from Koepke in the August Kane County Farmer

publication. He thanked Ellen Kamps for her outstanding writing about the Garlic

Breath Farms of Elburn article. The article will be featured in the July Farmer

issue. On July 8, there was a donor recognition and scholarship awards event

held at the Kane County Cougars Stadium. Arnold announced that the Kane

County Fair will be held on Friday, July 18 thru Sunday, July 20. The KCFB will

promote farm safety, the vintage truck raffle, and several fun, family activities.

There will also be a Blue Ribbon Sale silent auction that will turn into a live

auction on Sunday, July 20 on several farm toys gifted by Scott Horton of St.

Charles who recently passed away. The funds will benefit the KCFB foundation

and to support causes that were meaningful to Horton. Lastly, there is a coupon

within the July Farmer issue for free, family ice cream. Arnold mentioned the

"swag" that was handed out at the Kane County Fair, including recipes for pork,

beef, and sweet corn. Additional items that were handed out were magnets with

tips converting measurements and ingredient substitutions for cooking. Much

discussion took place.

Northern Illinois Food Bank Updates (Robert Desio, Senior Manager of Public

Poicy and Benefits)

No report was made.

Master Urban Farmer Training Program 2025 (Alexis Barnes, Extension

Educator)

(Committee Member Allan arrived at 11:04 a.m.) Local Food and Small Farms

Educator with Illinois Extension, serving Kane County, Alexis Barnes stated the

Urban Farmer Training course will begin this fall. This is a twelve week program

which will run from September 22 through December 8. Every other week there

will be discussions on production, business and marketing. These trainings are

geared towards beginner specialty crop farmers, and their mission and visions.

Barnes announced that applications for this training course will be available on

Monday, July 21, 2025 and will be open for one month. The cost is $75. Much

discussion ensued.

Presentations/Announcements

Conference Recap and Local Food and Farm Funding Options (Janice Hill,

Consultant)

Executive Planner and Farmland Protection Manager, Janice Hill, provided a

recap on the Local Food and Farm Funding Options. She stated that the

American Farmland Trust is a national non-profit organization that has been

partnering with the Farmland Protection Program since 2001. She noted that

saving America's working lands is intended to meet the growing demand for

protecting and retaining U.S. agricultural land. The main topics discussed at the

conference were conserving agricultural easements, agricultural viability and

planning, access and affordability, and economic sustainability. Hill reviewed the

real estate transfer tax status of state programs, and the recording and

mitigation fees. The fees used most often are fees implemented within their

county government, such as bonds, recording fees, and real estate transfer tax.

Hill asked the Committee for further direction on funding options for Kane

County to expand funding streams to support Farmland Protection in the coming

years. Hill addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Further

discussion took place.

Kane County Food Systems 2025 Update (Ellen Kamps, Consultant)

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Consultant, Ellen Kamps, provided an update on

the 2025 Kane County Food Systems Program. She highlighted her recent work

with the Kane County Development Department, and the newly formed Kane

County Economic Development Corporation. Operating along this spectrum has

allowed Kamps to work hyper-locally with Kane County farmers, and to analyze

projects from a 30K foot view. Her goal is to provide information to the county

through a state-wide, national, and global lens. She participated in the Illinois

Food Systems Roadmap initiative, which is designed to strengthen the state's

food system through community, formed planning, and coordinated action. The

second initiative she attended was her trip to Washington D.C. for personalized

access to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), municipal

planning departments, and meeting with congressional agricultural committees

who work on legislation. The third initiative she attended was the Bayer Chicago

Invite. This was an intimate conference that focused on regenerative agriculture

methods and corporate partnerships. The fourth initiative was the USDA Trade

Mission to Peru where she represented Kane County and the Economic

Development Corporation on a USDA Agribusiness Trade Mission. The fifth and

final initiative she attended was the Georgetown University Consulting focusing

on a developing opportunity for consulting that will occur throughout the next few

months. Between now and November, the Georgetown pre-scenario team will

help the Kane County Food Systems Program organize projects, and create an

identity around food and agriculture prosperity in Kane County. Kamps

addressed questions and comments from the Committee. Further discussion

ensued.

New Business

Kane-Dupage Soil and Water Conservation District Senior Resource Analyst, Isabella

Borzeka, announced that there will be a cover crops field day, drone seeding

demonstration held on Tuesday, August 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the

Master's Gardener's Idea Garden. After the field visit, there will be a lunch and panel

discussion, followed by a raffle to win a fall 2025 drone cover crop seeding on a Kane

or DuPage County field of the winner's choice.

Reports Placed On File

RESULT:

MOVER:

APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

Bill Roth

10.

11.

Executive Session (if needed)

None.

Adjournment

RESULT:

APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

Leslie Juby

MOVER:

Jarett Sanchez

SECONDER:

This meeting was adjourned at 11:47 a.m.

Rachel Santora

Recording Secretary