Specialty Growers

Welcome to the ISGA

The Illinois Specialty Growers Association (ISGA) was formed in 1989 to improve the coordination and cooperation among our individual associations.

ISGA is an umbrella organization for the following affiliated associations:

• Illinois Herb Association
• Illinois Irrigation Association
• Illinois State Horticultural Society
• Illinois Vegetable Growers Association

History:

The purpose of ISGA is the promotion and development of the Illinois specialty crop industry.

Originally called the Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Foundation, the Illinois Specialty Growers Association changed its name to reflect changes in the marketplace.  The name acknowledges the importance of a diverse number of crops commercially produced in Illinois.  

Contact Us:  Diane Handley, [email protected] or 309-557-3662.
                     Charlene Blary, [email protected] or 309-557-2107. 

ISGA Facebook page! Check it out at: Facebook.com/ILSpecialty

ISGA Accomplishments - Click here to see what has been accomplished in 2013 with the assistance of your membership dues.

Download ISGA Membership - Click to see a membership application. 

ISGA Newsletter Advertising
ISGA publishes a newsletter three times a year with timely information pertaining to our association in general as well as each of the four affiliated associations.  If you would like to consider advertising in our publication, please e-mail Charlene at [email protected] for a sample newsletter and a copy of the Newsletter Advertising Package. 

ISGA Members Travel to DC to Promote Immigration Reform

On Tuesday, April 23, three ISGA members traveled to Washington, DC to meet with legislators regarding proposed immigration reform bills in the Senate and the House.  Adam Nielsen, Illinois Farm Bureau Director of National Legislation, led a group of five farmers on a two-day trip to Washington DC to meet with Senator and House members and staff.  ISGA members who participated in this IFB-led “Strike Team” effort included Chris Eckert, Eckert’s Orchard; Sarah Frey-Talley, Frey Produce; and Don Ahrens, Twin Garden Farms.  The group also included a dairy producer and livestock producer.  Over the course of the two-day meeting, the group met with various House and Senate Representatives and/or their Aides as well as the Chief Counsel of the US House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.  Mike Orso, IFB Director of News & Communications, interviewed Chris, Don, and Sarah.  Their thoughts are captured in this audio clip.

Immigration Interviews April 2013

 

Download Cottage Food Operations:  Technical Information Bulletin #44

Download Illinois Cottage Food Regulations:  Top Questions and Answers

Download Guide to Illinois Laws Governing Direct Farm Marketing

Download The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy

Illinois Ag Invest Program (low-interest loans)  The Ag Invest program makes loans more affordable for farmers and agricultural professionals to plant and harvest crops, explore opportunities in agribusiness and rebound from difficult economic times.

 

ISGA Farmers Market Tent at the Illinois State Fair

The Illinois Specialty Growers Association will be sponsoring the 14th Farmers’ Market at the Illinois State Fair (August 7-17).  The farmers’ market will actually be in the same tent as the Illinois Department of Agriculture in the Heartland area of the fairgrounds.  Hours are 10:00 am to 7:00 pm daily.  We will be selling sweet corn, apple cider slush, peaches, cantaloupe, watermelon, popcorn, and fresh garden salads.  Plan to stop by the tent for the freshest food at the state fair!  If you are interested in working at the tent selling produce one of the days, you will receive complimentary parking and gate passes.  Contact Diane at [email protected] or 309-557-2107 if interested.  We need help promoting YOUR industry!

2013/2014 Value-Added Producer Grant Funding Cycle

USDA published the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in the 11/25/13 Federal Register inviting VAPG applications. Approximately $10.5 million is available for this nationally competitive program from Fiscal Year 2013 rollover funds.  There is also the potential for additional VAPG dollars for this funding cycle from Fiscal Year 2014.  For more information, click 2013-2014 Value-Added Producer Grant Funding Cycle.

Illinois NRCS Announces Upcoming EQIP Application Dates

Illinois State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Ivan Dozier announced that November 15, 2013 will be the first of four Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) application “cut-off" or submission deadline dates.  “This will be the first sign-up opportunity for Fiscal Year 2014,” Dozier explains, “I encourage all Illinois producers with resource concerns to submit their paperwork and get their projects in early.”  Click here for more information.

Food Safety Training Webinar

A training webinar for farmers market managers to learn about the changes to the Illinois Department of Public Health Technical Information Bulletin #30 - Sanitation Guidelines for Farmers Markets was held on Monday, June 17, 2013.  Patricia Welch, Food Program Manager, Illinois Department of Public Health provided an update of these changes.  The TIB #30 is available below, and you can listen to this 37-minute webinar at the following link:  http://media.itcs.illinois.edu/telenet/20130617/84230.html

Download Sanitation Guildlines for Farmers Markets: Technical Information Bulletin #30

Hazard Communication Standard Final Rule

New changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard are bringing the United States into alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).  The Hazard Communication Standard in 1983 gave the workers the ‘right to know,' but the new Globally Harmonized System gives workers the ‘right to understand.'  Click here for the entire Rule.

Contracts for Community Supported Agriculture Clarify Expectations for Producers and Consumers

University of Illinois professor of agricultural law A. Bryan Endres and his wife are both lawyers so, between the two of them, they have read a lot of legal documents, but when they became members of their local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), even they struggled to understand the agreement they were asked to sign. Endres’s experience as a consumer led him to develop simple contracts that can clarify expectations, avoid misunderstandings, and protect farmers and their customers.  Click for more information on the Contracts for CSAs.

Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Farmers

(Farmers needed for new beginning farmer program)

The age of farmers in this country is top-heavy, with older farmers far outnumbering the younger farmers, particularly that of fruit and vegetable growers. University of Illinois crop sciences professor Rick Weinzierl and co-workers recently received a grant from the Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a three-year project to address this problem.  Click for more information on Preparing a New Generation.

Hearing on America’s Agricultural Labor Crisis: Enacting a Practical Solution

If you are interested in the labor crisis in this country, this is a well-written article by Tom Nassif, President and CEO of Western Growers, given to the U.S. Senate before the Committee on Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security in October 2011.  It summarizes the labor crisis around the country, how states have reached out to US citizens for labor needs to no avail, and the threat of agriculture moving overseas if this is not resolved.  Click here to read the Testimony.

NASS Publishes Farm Labor Report

The National Agricultural Statistics Service recently published its biannual Farm Labor report. NASS interviewed nearly 12,000 farmers and ranchers across the U.S. to obtain information on the number of agricultural workers, hours worked and wage rates at the national and regional levels. According to the report, the number of hired workers decreased nearly 5 percent, while wage rates increased almost 2 percent from last year. In the report’s reference period—the week of Jan. 8-14, 2012—there were 575,000 workers hired directly by farm operators. In that same time frame, hired workers were paid an average wage of $11.52 per hour.   The biggest increases came in the Corn Belt, which had the highest percentage of farm labor hires. According to the report, this was primarily driven by the need for livestock workers because of increased inventories.