Upcoming Programs
- Growing great apples program| Friday, October 3 starting at 2 p.m. in Rockton, IL or Saturday, October 4 starting at 9:30 a.m. in Elizabeth, IL. For more information, contact Grant McCarty, 815-235-4125 or gmccarty@illinois.edu
- Fruit tree pruning fundamentals workshop| Save the dates! Registration information will be available in the next issue. Coming in November and December on Saturday mornings (10:00 AM–12:00 PM)
- Elizabeth: November 15th
- Freeport: November 22nd
- Rockford: December 6th
- Online webinar: December 17th (7-8:30PM)
- From food to flowers: everything local | Wednesday through Friday, January 28 through January 30, 2026. Springfield, IL Save the date! Look for more details in future issues.
News and Announcements
We Need Local Food!
The From Food to Flowers: Everything Local Conference will be held January 28-30, 2026 at the Bank of Springfield Center in Downtown Springfield, IL. This is the Illinois Food, Farmers Market, and Specialty Growers Conference for the State. Local food sourcing is the heart of this conference. We need your help to make this possible! If you are a producer, aggregator, or have farms in your network we are searching for you!
How does this work?
- Complete this interest form by September 1st.
- The President Abraham Lincoln Hotel staff will reach out between September - December to place an order.
- Once order is placed, deliver directly to the hotel at their requested timeline.
- Send a completed W9 and Invoice to Illinois Specialty Growers Association Administrative Assistant Jen Sweetwood at jsweetwood@ilfb.org to receive payment.
- Payments can take up to 4 weeks for processing and will be mailed to the requested address.
What are we looking for?
The short answer is EVERYTHING! Long answer- we are looking to source local grains, baked goods, desserts, coffee, spirits, dairy, cheeses, eggs, proteins, value-added products, snacks, juices, drinks, teas, vegetables, and fruits. Most meals will be for 500-700 people with a few smaller events for 50. Frozen items are acceptable. We want to highlight as many local producers as possible.
What is included when food is ordered from you?
- Every farm or business that food is sourced from will receive 2 complementary conference passes.
- Delivery Fee (if needed).
- Payment for the product based on your wholesale pricing.
- Exhibit Hall Space or Sponsorship recognition based on the value of discount or donation if provided.
- Promotion as a food provider on general session slides, banquet, social media and other materials as available.
Thank you for your consideration! If you have any questions, please reach out to Raghela Scavuzzo at rscavuzzo@ifb.org