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GOV. BLAGOJEVICH
ANNOUNCES NEARLY $107,000 IN FUNDING TO
RICHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO LAUNCH
HOMELAND SECURITY FOOD SYSTEMS POLICY
COUNCIL
Council Will Work
to Enhance Food Safety and Security
CHICAGO - Continuing to deliver on his
commitment to growing the homeland
security industry in Illinois and
building on the success of last summer's
Farm Progress show in Decatur, Gov. Rod
R. Blagojevich today announced the
awarding of nearly $107,000 in
funding to Richland Community College,
which will allow the college to assist
various state agencies with the
establishment of the Illinois Food
Systems Policy Council (IFSPC). Created
by House Bill 211 and signed into law by
Gov. Blagojevich last June, the Council
will recommend and implement strategies
to improve food access and security and
provide recommendations on potential
economic programs that could be used by
Illinois food producers to expand their
markets. This Opportunity Returns grant,
awarded through the Homeland Security
Market Development Bureau within the
Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity (DCEO), is
providing the needed resources to put
the IFSPC into action. Last August, the
Governor paid a visit to the Farm
Progress Show, which came to Decatur
last summer and will return every other
year for the next 20 years, to get a
first-hand look at the innovative
efforts of agricultural companies across
Illinois.
"As a state that produces, manufactures
and exports food for people across the
world, we need to do everything within
our power to ensure that our food supply
is safe and secure. The Food Systems
Policy Council was created to provide
critical guidance to help us improve
security for agricultural products that
Illinois companies manufacture, so that
the health and well being of our
citizens is protected. This funding for
Richland Community College will provide
the financial resources to draw on the
expertise, fuel the collaboration and
implement the policies needed to make
that vision a reality," Gov. Blagojevich
said.
The IFSPC is a public/private
partnership that will include
representatives from leading private
sector firms, such as ADM and Hill &
Knowlton, public agencies, such as the
Illinois Department of Public Health and
the Illinois Department of Agriculture,
and community organizations that are
involved in the food and agricultural
industries. DCEO's Homeland Security
Market Development Bureau will
administer the IFSPC with Richland
Community College's support. The first
meeting of the IFSPC is set for February
17th in Decatur.
"A critical component of growing our
economy is to protect our food supply.
The Food Systems Policy Council will
enjoy the expertise of Richland
Community College, ADM and other local
partners to not only protect our food,
but to also spur economic growth," State
Senator Frank Watson (R-Greenville)
said.
"When we talk about food policy to help
keep people in Illinois safe, it is
important to have local experts to whom
we can turn for advice and answers,"
State Rep. Bob Flider (D-Mt. Zion) said.
"I want to thank DCEO and the Governor
for awarding this funding and for
recognizing the important role that
Central Illinois institutions like
Richland Community College and ADM will
have in the development of food safety
and security policies."
Richland Community College is a major
provider of agricultural and food
systems workforce training. Richland's
location in Decatur, home to several
leading agri-products firms, and the
school's ongoing working relationship
with major food production and
processing companies in Illinois, make
it well positioned to take a leadership
role in the development of a food and
agro-security program.
"Richland Community College is pleased
to assist Gov. Blagojevich with the
establishment of the Food Systems Policy
Council. The work of this Council is an
important ingredient in developing
programs to help Illinois' business
establish a leadership position in
protecting the food supply. In today's
security conscious world, the companies
and states that can ensure the integrity
of the products are likely to enjoy a
competitive advantage in the
marketplace," said Dr. Gayle Saunders,
President of Richland Community College.
Food production is the state's number
one manufacturing activity, adding $13.4
billion to the economy each year.
Illinois is a leading exporter of food
manufacturing and agricultural products,
which totaled more than $3 billion in
2004.
DCEO's Homeland Security Market
Development Bureau (HSMD) is focused on
supporting businesses engaged in the
homeland security industry. HSMD offers
a variety of investment tools designed
to help existing Illinois companies
expand operations and utilize available
state and federal programs and services.
For more information on HSMD, visit
www.hsmd.illinois.gov.
To increase the dialogue about proactive
steps that can be taken to protect the
food supply, HSMD staged a food security
conference last June to bring together
leaders in this important industry. The
formation of the IFSPC builds on that
effort by bringing food producers,
distributors and companies engaged in
protecting our food supply together to
discuss additional protections for our
nation's food supply and to learn new
ways to compete in today's
security-conscious world. In addition to
food security, the HSMD Bureau is
sponsoring other homeland security
forums across Illinois that are
providing an important venue to nurture
various industries, including
information technology and electronics,
advanced manufacturing and
transportation security.
"Gov. Blagojevich and I believe that
nothing is more important to the lives
of Illinois citizens and the vitality of
our economy than the safety of our food
and water supplies. Economic development
is most effective when it utilizes
collaboration and innovation, and that's
exactly the strategy behind the Food
Systems Policy Council. Launching this
advisory panel allows us to keep our
ears to the ground and ensure that we
are implementing the most efficient and
effective policy to provide for the
security of our food supply and the
safety of our citizens," DCEO Director
Jack Lavin said.
Gov. Blagojevich's Opportunity Returns
regional economic development strategy
is the most aggressive, comprehensive
approach to creating jobs in Illinois'
history. Since a one-size-fits-all
approach to economic development just
doesn't work, the Governor has divided
the state into 10 regions - each with a
regional team that is empowered and
expected to rapidly respond to
opportunities and challenges.
Opportunity Returns is about tangible,
specific actions to make each region
more accessible, more marketable, more
entrepreneurial and more attractive to
businesses. It is about upgrading the
skills of the local workforce,
increasing the access to capital,
opening new markets, improving
infrastructure, and creating and
retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is
about successfully partnering with
companies and communities, both large
and small, to help all of Illinois reach
its economic potential.
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