Cook County Board Recognizes and Celebrates Agriculture in the County
During the March board meeting, Cook County Commissioners approved #23-1426, a resolution celebrating the importance of agriculture in Cook County.
Sponsors include Commissioners Scott Britton, Josina Morita, Sean Morrison, Dennis Deer, Bridget Degnen, Bridget Gainer, Brandon Johnson, Donna Miller, Kevin Morrison, Maggie Trevor, and Alma Anaya.
The resolution provides the following:
- Agriculture includes the growing, raising, and harvesting of crops for both human and animal consumption as well as the raising of livestock;
- Cook County is home to more than 12,000 acres of farmland;
- Agriculture contributes nearly $20 million to Cook County economy;
- Over four percent of Cook County’s total workforce is employed in an agricultural-related job including food handling and processing;
- Cook County agriculture includes vegetable, floriculture, grain, nursery, and row crop production as well as livestock;
- Cook County’s agricultural landscape includes horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys;
- According to the United States Department of Agriculture 2017 Census of Agriculture, Cook County is ranked second in the state for equine production with a sales volume of over $1.5 million;
- Cook County ranks twelfth in the state for nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod production;
- Cook County is home to numerous examples of urban agriculture including the raising, cultivation, processing, marketing, and distribution of food in urban and suburban settings; and
- Urban agriculture generally involves outdoor and indoor vertical production, indoor warehouse farms, greenhouses, rooftop farms, hydroponic, and aquaponic facilities.
To see the complete language visit https://cookcfb.org/ccfb/policy-and-action/legislative-priorities.
A tremendous thank you to commissioners for their support of this resolution and agriculture in Cook County!