County consultant reports international and institutional partnerships; Georgetown pro bono project to inform ag strategy
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Summary
A county sustainable-agriculture consultant summarized six recent initiatives including USDA meetings, a regenerative-ag conference, a USDA agribusiness trade mission to Peru and a forthcoming pro bono Georgetown University consulting engagement to help structure Kane County's agriculture and economic-development work.
KANE COUNTY, Ill. — A sustainable-agriculture consultant who works with Kane County briefed the Agriculture Committee on July 17 about recent national and international work and a pro bono consulting project with Georgetown University to inform county agriculture strategy.
Ellen (last name not provided), who described her role as a sustainable-ag consultant for the county and the Kane County Economic Development Corporation, said she participated in projects including the Illinois Food Systems Roadmap (phase 1 report funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services), a USDA agribusiness trade mission to Peru, and an invitation-only regenerative-agriculture convening in Chicago focused on metrics and decarbonization.
Ellen said the Peru trip included briefings with the U.S. embassy and USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, networking with roughly 70 agricultural cooperatives and state delegations, and that Kane County was the first county or economic-development corporation to send representation on such a U.S. trade mission she observed. She said the trip informed recommendations for a Kane County trade-promotion toolkit.
Ellen also said she and colleagues were selected through Georgetown University's executive-certificate program in organizational-development consulting to receive pro bono consulting support. The Georgetown team will work with county staff through November to craft a structured strategy for fiscal year 2026, define roles and responsibilities, organize projects and advise on fundraising and public awareness priorities.
Committee members asked about corporate interest in regenerative agriculture and decarbonization; Ellen said corporations are under continued pressure to address scope 1/2/3 emissions and many continue to prioritize sustainability investments. There was no committee action attached to the presentation; the consultant said next steps include continued collaboration with county teams and the Georgetown pro bono engagement.
What's next: The Georgetown pro bono project will run through November and will inform county planning for 2026; consultant work on economic-development and local agriculture projects will continue in parallel.