SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Some of the largest buyers of local food in Illinois are set to meet with fruit and vegetable growers in Springfield at the Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference. 

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, through a USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant, has funded FamilyFarmed.org, an Illinois non-profit organization, to facilitate meetings between large produce buyers and growers to help build a stronger local food system.

"We are pleased to help Illinois farmers build new markets and new sources of revenue," Agriculture Director Tom Jennings said.  "We hope growers will take advantage of this opportunity."

The conference will be held Jan. 6-8 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Representatives from Chicago Public Schools, Goodness Greeness, SYSCO and Whole Foods Market will be part of a panel on Friday, Jan. 8, at 1:30 p.m. in the Governor's Conference room.  The discussion will begin with FamilyFarmed.org president, Jim Slama, outlining tips for specialty crop growers to sell wholesale, including food safety, post harvest handling and packing. Presentations from the buyers about what they are looking for from growers and ways buyers and growers can develop relationships will follow.  Then, there will be a question answer session and an opportunity for growers to "Meet the Buyers" face-to-face.

FamilyFarmed.org's Ready to Grow Project is a research, analysis and strategic planning process designed to build the capacity of Illinois growers to sell more produce. The objectives are to identify the barriers to increased Illinois specialty crop production for wholesale markets in Illinois, devise workable solutions to resolve those barriers and complete a feasibility assessment of achieving required input factors for private investment in infrastructure development in Central Illinois. As part of this process, FamilyFarmed.org will explore the feasibility of creating a produce aggregation and distribution facility in Central Illinois.

For more information, contact Slama at 312-504-5537.