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, April 17, 2025  
10:30 AM  
County Board Room  
2025 Committee Goals  
Goals from the July Agriculture Committee meeting  
• Revise County Code Definition of the Agriculture Committee  
• Awareness & Support of Agriculture - Raise public awareness and support for agriculture  
in Kane County as an industry sector and community resource  
• Farmland Protection - Work in concert with the Farmland Protection Commission and  
County Board to oversee the successful implementation of Kane County’s Farmland  
Protection Ordinance and related conservation efforts, and pursue funding  
• Continue Growing for Kane Program - Direct the implementation of programs and  
policies that expand the production of locally grown foods and improve community access  
to fresh and healthy food choices, and pursue funding  
- Continue partnerships with Kane County Farm Bureau and Northern Illinois Food Bank  
- Implement current grant funded projects  
- Continue to apply for additional outside grants  
- Implement economic development projects for Agriculture  
- ARPA Small grants for farmers  
- Other projects identified by the Economic Development Strategic Plan for Kane County  
_______________________________________________________________________  
1.  
2.  
Call To Order  
Chairman Juby called today's meeting to order at 10:32 AM.  
Roll Call  
Board Member Leslie Juby  
Board Member Bill Roth  
PRESENT  
Board Member Deborah Allan  
Board Member Rick Williams  
Board Member Ted Penesis  
REMOTE  
ABSENT  
Board Member Bill Lenert  
Board Member Jarett Sanchez  
Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog  
Also present: Co. Bd. members Gumz, Kious*, Lewis, Molina*, Strathmann*; Dev. Dir.  
VanKerkhoff and staff Tansley; Sustainability Coordinator Powell; Environ. & Water  
Res. Dir. Wollnik; ASA Frank*; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public  
including U of I Educator Alexis Barnes, Northern Illinois Food Bank Dev. Officer Hester  
Bury, and Former Kane County Board Member Mike Kenyon.  
3.  
4.  
Remote Attendance Requests  
Chairman Juby announced the remote attendance requests for today's meeting. She  
asked the Committee if there were any objections to Committee Member Penesis  
attending remotely. There were no objections.  
Approval of Minutes: March 20, 2025  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT  
Rick Williams  
5.  
6.  
Public Comment  
None.  
Partners  
Kane County Farm Bureau Updates (Steve Arnold, Manager)  
No report was made for today's meeting.  
A.  
Meet Your Farmer Series (Alexis Barnes, Educator, University of Illinois  
Extension)  
B.  
U of I Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator Alexis Barnes presented  
the Meet Your Farmer Series. She stated that from 2019, there has been an  
interest in a Farm Stroll Series. This is a self-guided, one-day tour of  
family-owned farms, offering visitors a chance to explore local agriculture, and  
connect with the farming community. It is a free event where people can choose  
farms to visit, learn about their practices, and potentially purchase farm-fresh  
products. The Meet Your Farmer Series will be held in May, June, July, and  
August throughout the growing season in Kane County. There will be a Farm  
Stroll event on Sunday, May 18, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the  
Barbic Farms in Wayne, Illinois. Barnes is currently seeking growers for the  
months of June, July, and August.  
Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) Dir. Hester Bury stated that 70K individuals  
are served monthly in Kane County. There were a total of 12M meals distributed  
last year. Bury indicated that there has been an increase in meals distributed,  
however, she anticipates a possible inflation impact, and a reduction in SNAP  
benefits.  
7.  
Presentations/Announcements  
Farmer Weatherization Rebate Program (Austin Powell, Sustainability  
Coordinator)  
A.  
Sustainability Coordinator Powell presented information on the Farmer  
Weatherization Rebate Program. He stated that Kane County will offer a rebate  
program to farmers who weatherize their home through air sealing and/or attic  
insulation. The total fund for the rebate program is $20K, originating through the  
Electric Aggregation Program. Farmers who are living in unincorporated Kane  
County can receive $200. Farmers will receive an extra $200, if they do not use  
Nicor Gas for residential heating. This program would benefit between 50 to 100  
farmers. Powell reviewed the benefits of air sealing and attic insulation. He  
stated that a 2023 study by the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy  
found that weatherization such as air sealing and attic insulation can reduce a  
home's energy usage by 12 to 18 percent. The US Environmental Protection  
Agency (EPA) estimates that homeowners can save an average of 15% on  
heating and cooling costs by air sealing their homes, and adding insulation in  
attics, floors over crawl spaces and basements. Powell explained the cost  
breakdown and available rebates for the program. The Minnesota Center for  
Energy and Environment estimates that air sealing and attic insulation costs  
between $2K to $6,500. Qualified Contractors in the Chicago Area estimated the  
cost to be between $3,400 to $6K for an average size home of 1,700 square  
feet. Nicor offers two specific rebates including $250 per home for air sealing,  
and $400 per home for attic insulation. He reviewed the cost breakdown for  
Kane County farmers. Farmers who received a Kane County rebate, but do not  
use Nicor Gas, they can receive between a 6% to 13% reduction of their overall  
costs. For farmers who do have access Nicor Gas, they can receive a 14% to  
28% reduction in overall costs, including the $200 rebate from Kane County.  
Further discussion took place.  
IL-EATS Program and Workshop Recap (Matt Tansley, Planner)  
B.  
Dev. Planner Tansley presented the IL-EATS Program and Workshop Recap.  
He stated that the event took place in February 2025, hosted by U of I Extension  
and partners. This is a statewide program run through the Illinois Department of  
Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Human Services to source fresh, local  
food from Illinois farmers for delivery to undeserved communities across the  
state. Farmers are paid fair market value for their products including high-quality  
produce, proteins, dairy, and grains, provided at no cost through food pantries,  
mobile markets, and food box programs. There were fifteen lead agencies  
recruited for the program. The lead agencies, located throughout the state of  
Illinois, are responsible for applying for funding, and purchase product from  
farmers, and distribute to pantries and service organizations. Tansley stated that  
the IL-EATS program was funded through the United States Department of  
Agriculture (USDA) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance program (LFPA).  
He noted that the program prioritizes purchases from veterans, women,  
disabled, and other under served farmers. In Kane County, all farmers are  
eligible as it is identified as a high vulnerability county. There were 176 farms  
across the state that participated, and 883 community sites that received  
product in 85 counties throughout the state. Tansley highlighted the impacts on  
Kane County from the program. There were 31 sites that received food  
purchases with IL-EATS Program funding. There were $550K in product  
distributed to sites in the county. The value of food purchased from Kane County  
farmers was $364,105. There were four Kane County farms that were able to  
sell their product including Mighty Greens in Elburn, Klein's Quality Product in  
Burlington, Baeders Acres in Hampshire, and Sunny Oaks Farm in Burlington  
Township. Tansley highlighted the lead agencies for the IL-EATS program. One  
of them was a nonprofit organization based in DeKalb, Illinois, Rooted for Good,  
provided food access and education services, and sourced local farm products  
for distribution through pantry networks. Tansley also shared information about  
the Salem Food Pantry, located in DeKalb at Salem Lutheran Church, and  
Sunny Oaks Farm in Burlington. Lastly, Tansley provided updates on the  
IL-EATS program. The program agreement for FY24 and FY25 was authorized  
$28.8M for the purchase of local foods and administration by 15 agencies.  
There is a total of $12M remaining in program funds to be spent by the end of  
June 2025. Tansley addressed questions and comments from the Committee.  
Much discussion ensued.  
8.  
New Business  
2025 Proclamation Recognizing Steve Pitstick as a Master Farmer Award  
A.  
Recipient  
KC Executive Committee  
RESULT:  
MOVED FORWARD BY ROLL CALL VOTE  
KC Executive Committee  
Bill Roth  
TO:  
MOVER:  
SECONDER:  
Deborah Allan  
Leslie Juby, Bill Roth, Deborah Allan, Ted Penesis, and Rick  
Williams  
AYE:  
Bill Lenert, Jarett Sanchez, and Corinne M. Pierog  
ABSENT:  
9.  
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  
Bill Roth  
MOVER:  
Rick Williams  
SECONDER:  
This meeting was adjourned at 11:24 a.m.  
Rachel Santora  
Recording Secretary