IllinoisIllinois agriculture department would provide an online hub for farmers
Illinois’ agriculture department would offer online help with farm rules and funding and report farmland losses whenever the federal farm census is published.
What it does
Illinois’ agriculture department would run an online hub for farmers and other users to find rules, expert help, and funding opportunities, including a searchable grant database and ways to apply.
In years when the federal farm census is published, the department would report Illinois farmland losses over the five calendar years before its report, identify the main cause, and recommend responses.
Argument forA searchable grant database with deadlines and eligibility rules could help farmers find funding and avoid spending time on unsuitable applications.
Argument againstMaintaining current grant listings and preparing farmland reports could require sustained staff time at the state agriculture department.
More detail
The Department of Agriculture would run a website portal with agency links, a searchable grant database, and ways to apply for available funding. Farmers, rural communities, agricultural businesses, and others seeking help with agricultural or related topics could use the portal. Grant listings would show deadlines and eligibility rules and receive regular updates. Checklists would help users considering new markets understand rules. The portal would connect users with experts, data tools, and technical help.
The department would count lost farmland, identify the main cause, and send findings and recommendations to state lawmakers. Reviews would cover Illinois farmland lost in the five calendar years before the report’s publication, using the latest federal farm census definition of farmland. Reviews would be due November 1 in census publication years. Reports would go to lawmakers by December 31 that year and appear online within 30 days after filing.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Oct 15Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Chris BalkemaLatest
- May 22Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments
- May 15Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 22, 2026
- Apr 24Rule 2-10 Committee/3rd Reading Deadline Established As May 15, 2026
- Mar 13Rule 2-10 Committee Deadline Established As April 24, 2026
- Jan 27Assigned to AppropriationsMinor
- 2025
- Oct 14Referred to Assignments
- Oct 14First ReadingMinor
- Oct 14Filed with Secretary by Sen. Sally J. TurnerIntroduced
Agriculture