‘Illinois farmers can feed Illinois’: State grant program offers
assistance
[March 21, 2026]
By Rebecka Pieder and Medill Illinois News Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois food producers and businesses can apply for a
share of $3.6 million in state grant funding through March 27 as part of
a program to reduce Illinoisians’ reliance on food from out of state.
The Local Food Infrastructure Grant program, through the Illinois
Department of Agriculture, supports small agricultural operations and
food producers working with cold storage, processing equipment,
refrigerated transportation and distribution systems.
The grant program is currently open for applications, and applicants
must complete a pre-registration before applying. Funds will be
distributed in June.
Information on the application process can be found on the Department of
Agriculture’s website.
The grant program is designed to support the infrastructure needed to
make locally grown food more accessible in Illinois.
“When we say farm-to-home food, we forget about the critical
infrastructure in between,” Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, said in a
release announcing this year’s funding. “This investment ensures that
our food makes it from farm to local food processor and distribution
safely and cleanly to your plates at home.”
The Illinois Stewardship Alliance, a local food and farm advocacy group,
administered the program in its first year in 2023. The idea for the
legislation came after alliance members identified a lack of sufficient
infrastructure to feed their surrounding communities, said Molly
Pickering, policy director at the Illinois Stewardship Alliance.
“We believe Illinois farmers can feed Illinois, but we need programs and
policies to support these farmers,” she said.
Policies like the Local Food Infrastructure Grant program benefit
Illinois by removing barriers that keep local businesses from serving
their communities, Pickering said.
“We know that in Illinois, 95% of the food that we eat is imported from
out of state,” she said. “That means every time we spend money on food,
all that money is flowing to corporations and companies out of state.
It’s not staying in our communities. It’s not being reinvested in our
communities.”
Following the passage of the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Act, the
Illinois Department of Agriculture took over administration. The state
appropriated $2 million in fiscal year 2025 to the Department of
Agriculture to administer the grants, though the program faced
implementation delays. The unused funds have been added to this year’s
cycle.
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Traci Barkley, director of Sola Gratia Farm, watches as staff load
produce into the farm’s refrigerated delivery van, which was
purchased with the support of funding from the Illinois’ Local Food
Infrastructure Grant program. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Maggie
Dougherty)
“Local food doesn’t move itself,” Liz Moran Stelk, executive director of
the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, which helped launch the program, said
in a news release. “Farmers across Illinois are ready to meet growing
demand for locally produced food, but they need the infrastructure to do
it.”
Here’s how the grants can help
Previous grant recipients have shown what that infrastructure can look
like in practice. Sola Gratia Farm, a nonprofit farm in Urbana, used
funding to purchase a refrigerated delivery van and processing
equipment, allowing it to expand deliveries to schools, food pantries
and neighborhood markets.
In McLean County, Funks Grove Heritage Fruits & Grains invested in grain
handling and processing equipment, improving product quality and
reducing waste. Recipients have described how the grants made a huge
difference in opening business opportunities.
“Everyone benefits when we empower our local farmers,” Sen. Doris
Turner, D-Springfield, a supporter of the program, said in a news
release. “By fortifying the food system, we are supporting our local
farmers and mitigating food insecurity. This funding will expand access
to fresh, local foods, strengthen the local economy and grow the food
supply chain.”
The Illinois Stewardship Alliance is pushing for a more permanent
funding solution, rather than relying on year-to-year appropriations.
“That hasn’t materialized yet, but we’re going to keep advocating for
that, and so are our members,” Pickering said.
Rebecka Pieder is a graduate student in journalism
with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media
and Integrated Marketing Communications, and is a fellow in its
Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News
Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is
funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation. |
