Representatives from the Kane County Farm Bureau and the Kane-DuPage Soil & Water Conservation District briefed the Kane County Agriculture Committee on Oct. 23 about grant opportunities, pilot workforce partnerships and technology trials meant to support local farms.

Steve Arnold of the Kane County Farm Bureau highlighted statewide funding from the Illinois Department of Agriculture for no-till and strip-till practices — grants that open next week and close Oct. 31 — that could provide up to $35 per acre for three years and a program budget of about $67 million statewide. He also detailed the Farm Bureau’s fundraising events, scholarships and a pilot partnership with the county juvenile justice center that uses supervised labor for property maintenance while providing work-skills training to participants.

"We did our first pilot work with the juvenile justice center earlier this week," Arnold said, adding that the program could help participants move from unskilled to more skilled positions in the community.

Cat (last name not provided) of the Kane-DuPage Soil & Water Conservation District described operations during the partial federal shutdown of USDA divisions that affects local NRCS offices. She said Farm Service Agency offices in DeKalb had resumed a limited range of essential services, including farm loans and crop insurance, with minimal staffing. The district continues core functions but is operating with some staff working remotely.

Cat described a successful drone cover-crop seeding demonstration on Oct. 7 for a local farmer, with the district awarding $1,500 worth of drone seeding services as a raffle prize. "He reports that it went really great," Cat said, noting follow-up in spring to evaluate results. The district also has staff training for a drone pilot’s license and plans to use the drone for inspections, NRI work and overflies of projects.

Both partners promoted upcoming local events — drive-through barbecues and a November fundraising drawdown — and collaboration on pollinator calendars and nutrient-loss demonstration projects to seek grant funding in 2026.

Ending: The committee acknowledged the partners’ outreach work and encouraged members to help publicize grant timelines and local events to farmers and community organizations.