 The guide is intended to be an introduction to the legal framework
surrounding agriculture and is for beginning and current farmers who
are interested in being part of the fastest growing sector of their
industry -- direct farm marketing of vegetables, fruits, meats and
other products.Specific to Illinois, the guide is a handy
reference on topics like taxing, zoning, liability insurance,
cottage food laws and regulations that pertain to specific foods.
"I'm excited about the potential of this guide to help beginning
and current farmers make the leap into local and organic food
sales," said Wes King, Illinois Stewardship Alliance executive
director and co-author of the guide.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance first published a legal guide in
2003 for farmers interested in direct farm marketing. Changes to the
laws and rules regarding food -- such as the passage of the Cottage
Food Act, compost reform and federal Food Safety Modernization Act
-- demanded an update.
"My hope is that this guide will help people grow safe food, form
successful business ventures and make the vision of local and
organic food as an engine of prosperity for our community, our state
and our region real," said Rich Schell, an attorney who focuses on
agriculture-related issues and is co-author of the guide.
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The guide, officially titled "Guide to Illinois Laws Governing
Direct Farm Marketing," is also in the process of being translated
into Spanish. The Spanish translation is set to be released later in
the year.
In addition to farmers, King said the guide will prove useful to
educators in the field of local food and to economic developers who
provide technical assistance to farmers and entrepreneurs.
Hard copies of the guide can be obtained from the Illinois
Stewardship Alliance by calling 217-528-1563 or emailing
isa@ilstewards.org. A PDF of
the guide is available at ISA's website,
www.ilstewards.org, and by
clicking here.
[Text from file received from
Illinois Stewardship Alliance]
Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a nonprofit that promotes
environmentally sustainable, socially just and economically viable
local food systems through policy development, advocacy and
education.
To keep up-to-date on Illinois Stewardship Alliance, visit
https://www.facebook.com/ilstewards or follow ISA on Twitter,
@ilstewards. |
