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FarmFED is set to leverage local,
healthy food as an economic driver for Central Illinois
[May 21, 2025]
MT. PULASKI, Ill. -
Imagine a community that can feed itself well while strengthening
its economy and creating new opportunities for its residents.
The Central Illinois FarmFED Cooperative (FarmFED) is a fresh-food
processing facility and commercial kitchen located on the Mt.
Pulaski (Ill.) Town Square. It is hosting its grand opening for
stakeholders and community members on Friday, June 13, 2025.
FarmFED’s fresh-food processing facility will buy produce from local
growers and sell it to local buyers such as schools and hospitals,
allowing growers to focus on growing while FarmFED handles marketing
and distribution.
FarmFEDs’ licensed commercial kitchen will allow FarmFED to quickly
and safely process the produce for immediate distribution or for
freezing, and will rent to food business entrepreneurs who could
expand their production without investing in their own food-safe
facility.
“The seed for FarmFED was planted in 2019 when Mt. Pulaski, Ill.,
was awarded a Local Food, Local
Places Grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency,” said Tom
Martin, FarmFED president. “We started with a local community garden
and then a cooperative grocery store (Market on the Hill). It is now
poised to seamlessly connect locally-grown produce to local eaters.”
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FarmFED Grand Opening
Friday, June 13, 2025
108 S Washington Street, Mt. Pulaski, IL
4:00 – 7:00pm Ribbon Cutting and Public Tours — all are welcome;
no RSVP is required
Enjoy locally-sourced food prepared on site.
FarmFED’s goal is to improve the quality of life in Central
Illinois by offering larger, more diverse market opportunities
to local growers, by facilitating the distribution of healthy
food, and by enhancing economic strength through hiring and
renting.
Collaborators
FarmFED is a for-profit entity that collaborates with the Logan
County Economic Development Council (LCEDC) which serves as its
non-profit fiscal sponsor.
The Market on the Hill (MOTH), a community-owned grocery store
uses the FarmFED kitchen to prepare baked goods and that it
sells. MOTH, which is also located on the Mt. Pulaski (Ill.)
Town Square, 125 S. Lafayette Street, Mt. Pulaski, Ill., will be
open for the FarmFED Open House.
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