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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING MARCH 18, 2025, AS NATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY
WHEREAS, Illinois is home to more than 72,000 farms, 94 percent of which are family-owned; and
WHEREAS, Agriculture includes the growing, raising, and harvesting of crops as well as the raising of livestock for both human and animal consumption; and
WHEREAS, Cook County agriculture and related industries support over 110,000 jobs and generate over $15.4 billion in value-added; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is home to nearly 11,000 acres of farmland according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture; and
WHEREAS, Cook County agriculture landscape includes vegetable, floriculture, honey production, grain, nursery, and row crop production; and
WHEREAS, Cook County’s agricultural livestock includes horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is ranked first in the state for equine production with a sales volume of over $2.2 million; and
WHEREAS, Cook County also leads the state in honey sales; and
WHEREAS, Cook County ranks twelfth in the state for nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod production; and
WHEREAS, 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
WHEREAS, Urban agriculture generally involves outdoor and indoor vertical production, indoor warehouse farms, greenhouses, rooftop farms, hydroponic and aquaponic facilities; and
WHEREAS, 97 Cook County farms are certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture; and
WHEREAS, many Cook County farmers sell directly to consumers at farmstands, roadside markets, farmers markets, and through community support agriculture; and
WHEREAS, Cook and Illinois farmers grow healthy and nutritious food; and
WHEREAS, Farmland is a finite resource that is vital to agriculture, food production, and the economic well-being of Cook County; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recognize March 18, 2025 as National Agriculture Day in celebration of the contributions of Cook County’s urban, suburban, and exurban farmers in cultivating health and wellness among all residents; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be tendered to the Cook County Farm Bureau®. end