Governor Attends FARM Illinois Luncheon

 CHICAGO – Governor Bruce Rauner attended the Food and Agriculture Road Map for Illinois (FARM Illinois) luncheon today at the Union League Club in Chicago. At the event, the Governor addressed the importance of building partnerships to create a skilled workforce.

“FARM Illinois is helping to expand our great agricultural industry here in Illinois,” Governor Rauner said.  “It's created the prototype of our vision for Illinois’ future by building relationships and creating networks with private entities, universities, community colleges and government. Its leadership is paving the way for a skillful and innovative workforce that will have an impact on our growth and prosperity for generations to come.”

FARM Illinois was established in 2014. Its mission is to create a comprehensive plan to enable Illinois and the Chicago region to become a leading global hub for food and agriculture system innovation.

Recently, it announced a partnership between Richland Community College in Decatur and Kendall College in Chicago. This partnership is to create a pipeline for the Northern and Central/Southern regions of Illinois to provide academic and professional education and training, business development and incubation to our future workforce. The partnerships will help prepare a regional U.S. Midwest skilled workforce to enter agriculture and food industry (AFI) careers.