Illinois Stewardship Alliance

🌱 What did farmers, eaters, and food system advocates accomplish during the 2026 legislative session?

Our new Farm & Food Policy Recap takes a look at the victories, challenges, and unfinished work shaping the future of Illinois agriculture and local food systems.

This year, Alliance members helped advance policies to support emerging farmers, strengthen local food infrastructure, expand food access, and build a more resilient farm and food system. While not every priority crossed the finish line, each campaign helped build relationships, elevate farmer voices, and create momentum for future change.

Real change doesn't happen in a single legislative session. It happens when farmers, eaters, and advocates organize together year after year.

📖 Read the recap and see what your collective action helped accomplish:
https://ilstewards.org/2026/06/12/2026-farm-food-policy-recap/

💪 Thank you to every member who attended lobby days, contacted lawmakers, shared their story, testified, joined a caucus, or took action this year. This work is only possible because of you.

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2026 Illinois State Budget Recap: Key Wins and Challenges Explore the 2026 Illinois State Budget recap highlights, focusing on local food systems, conservation, and the fight for farmer rights.

Yesterday, Policy Organizer Ed Dubrick was able to attend an Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition Pasture Walk at the Kaeb Family Farm.

There attendees walked the pasture, shared grazing and pasture management experience, and enjoyed being in the company of fellow pastured livestock operators.

From beginning to end it was clear that the Kaebs care deeply about soil health and that it was one of their main reasons for converting former crop land to pasture for South Poll cattle and Saint Croix sheep.

Some attendees came as far as 5 hours away to attend!

If you missed this event, but are interested, be sure to check out Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition’s websites for upcoming pasture walks or events in your area: https://www.ilgrazinglands.org/events

From the wild rice beds at its headwaters in Minnesota to the oyster reefs at its mouth in Louisiana, the Mississippi River sustains life, including ours right here in Illinois. 🌾🦪

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have depended on these waters for nourishment, travel, and trade, and held them as sacred. The River remains one of the world's most important cultural and ecological corridors and one of the most threatened.

On National Mississippi River Day, we honor that legacy and recommit to protecting it. Get involved at: mississippiriver.org/national-mississippi-river-day

@1.Mississippi