A Galesburg farmer is among a contingent of Illinois small farmers headed to Washington D.C. next week to urge Congress to support a new Farm Bill.
Demarkius Medley Sr., founder of Greenlords Pharms LLC in Galesburg, will join a dozen Illinois farmers in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Feb. 1 to lobby for issues that include transformational investment in building resilient local food systems, train and equip the next generation of farmers, advance racial justice, and make the opportunities of sustainable food and farming more accessible to everyone.
A Black farmer, Medley will lobby specifically on behalf of the Justice for Black Farmers Act and the Small Farm Conservation Act.
Medley is a member of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance that will join farmers and advocates with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council to meet with Illinois members of Congress, particularly the six members who serve on Agriculture Committees.
Medley tells WGIL, “I’ll basically be sharing my story, and some of the issues I have faced being a Black farmer in Knox County. Hopefully sharing my story will help members of Congress vote to include specifically the Justice for Black Farmers Act into the Farm Bill.”
After the current 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 20, 2023, Congress extended the legislation for one year. A new draft Farm Bill has not been released.
Medley and his son Demarkius Medley Jr. operate Greenlords Pharms LLC which utilizes hydroponic agriculture.
