Right now, less than 5% of the food we buy is produced in Illinois. Because of that, Central Illinois loses $5 billion per year from its regional economy. Experts estimate we have the capacity to produce at least 40% of our food right here in our state. However, even if we would buy just 15% of our food from local producers, we could generate $639 million of new income annually. This would go a long way to keep our local farmers in business!