Kane County highlights agriculture and farmland preservation; introduces new farmland preservation administrator

Kane County leaders used an informal July 17 session to highlight agriculture as a central economic driver and to introduce the county’s new farmland preservation administrator.

The session opened with a short video produced for the county’s economic development effort that framed agriculture as more than land use but as an industry supporting local businesses, agritourism and supply chains. The video notes Kane County’s 2024 economic development strategic plan identifies agriculture as a key sector and describes the county’s farmland protection program, now in its 25th year.

County staff reported that in 2024 the county invested $755,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through a farm resiliency grant program that directly supported 19 local farms. A staff member said the program helped farmers diversify revenue, upgrade infrastructure and strengthen on-farm employment; “Currently, we’re still batting a clear 100 on all the grant applications through that program,” the staff member said.

The meeting introduced Dylan Canner, whom he introduced himself as “the new farmland preservation administrator.” Canner said he joined the program roughly six weeks earlier after completing graduate work at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and described priorities including permanently protecting prime farmland and preserving multi‑generation family farms.

Board members and staff discussed the program pipeline and recent easement closings. Officials said they have roughly eight farms actively in the funding pipeline and a longer waiting list beyond that; when asked about the most recent easement closings, staff and Canner reported one closing of about 212 acres and another of about 87 acres. Staff cautioned that the number of applicants overall was larger but that some waiting-list totals were not available for the meeting.

Funding for easements and local matches was described as coming from multiple sources, including riverboat match dollars and regional conservation programs such as RCPP and partnerships with the Conservation Fund. Staff noted federal programs (for example, NRCS-administered funding) can extend the time required to close easements because of appraisals, title and survey work.

The presentation also emphasized partnerships with conservation organizations and the forest preserve district, which staff said typically converts some lands to prairie (removing them from the tax rolls) while easements keep land in agricultural production and on the tax rolls, providing different benefits.

The county said it will circulate the video to board members and post it on its communications channels after completing one more tour stop for the agricultural outreach. The non-meeting closed with no formal actions or votes.

Next steps: staff said they will share additional pipeline details and consider process efficiencies to speed approvals and will circulate the video to board members and the public.