At the Kane County Board Agriculture Committee last week, one of the County Board members mentioned that anyone with an Illinois recognized Centennial & Sesquicentennial Farm can submit information about his or her farm for possible publication in a commemorative book titled, “Illinois Historic Farms.”

Farm families who would like to submit family history and photos to the book are encouraged to contact Kane County Development and Community Service Department Director Mark VanKerkhoff at 630-232-3451 or at vankerkhoffmark@co.kane.il.us. Kane County farmers also can find out more information here.

If you would like to have your farm recognized as an Illinois Centennial & Sesquicentennial Farm, please click on this link.

Kane County has a longstanding commitment to preserve farmland, historic farms, rustic roads and the county’s rural heritage, VanKerkhoff said.

For example, Kane County and the USDA through its federal farmland protection program have invested more than $32.6 million in Kane County to permanently protect its rich farmland in agricultural conservation easements. Kane County has invested, since 2001, more than $19.9 million dollars in Riverboat funds matched by more than $ 12.6 in federal funds from the Federal Farmland Protection Program.

Twenty-nine family-owned and operated farms (4,927 acres) have been permanently protected through this voluntary program since 2001. This award winning program has a waiting list of farms totalling 1,500 acres waiting to be protected.

Kane County was Illinois’ first county to:

• protect farms by ordinance from nuisance lawsuits, 1991

• develop a stormwater ordinance to protect farmland, 2000

• establish a Farmland Protection Program, 2001

• assist farmers in maintaining productive soils with a farmland drainage assistance program, 2003

 

SOURCE: Kane County Facilities, Development and Environmental Resources