Public Accountability Report
Department of Agriculture
(Appropriated Spending in Thousands)
| FY |
FY |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Programs | Expenditures | Headcount | Expenditures | Headcount |
| State Fairs | $ 12,862.7 | 14.0 | $ 16,864.7 | 14.0 |
| Meat Inspection | $ 10,584.3 | 89.0 | $ 10,822.3 | 89.0 |
| Land and Water Resources | $ 9,568.1 | 8.0 | $ 9,531.4 | 9.0 |
| Cannabis Regulation | $ 8,244.6 | 13.0 | $ 2,156.4 | 4.0 |
| Environmental Programs | $ 7,924.5 | 47.0 | $ 8,659.2 | 47.0 |
| Weights and Measures | $ 5,829.8 | 38.0 | $ 5,656.5 | 37.1 |
| County Fairs and Horse Racing | $ 3,536.1 | 14.0 | $ 9,524.5 | 3.0 |
| Agriculture Products Inspection | $ 3,302.3 | 23.8 | $ 3,077.0 | 24.0 |
| Marketing | $ 2,526.4 | 9.0 | $ 2,914.2 | 13.0 |
| Animal Health and Welfare | $ 1,395.5 | 16.0 | $ 1,432.2 | 16.0 |
| Warehouses | $ 1,292.0 | 12.0 | $ 1,380.1 | 12.0 |
| Egg Inspection | $ 1,278.9 | 6.0 | $ 1,174.9 | 7.0 |
| Industrial Hemp | $ 113.5 | 0.5 | $ 539.1 | 2.0 |
| Non-Reporting Programs | ||||
| $ 13,443.9 | 1.0 | $ 13,442.3 | N/A | |
| $ 9.4 | 1.0 | $ 1.2 | 1.1 | |
| Totals | $ 81,912.0 | 292.3 | $ 87,176.0 | 278.2 |
Totals may not add due to rounding.
Agency Narrative
Mission Statement
The Department will be an advocate for Illinois’ agricultural industry and provide the necessary regulatory functions to benefit consumers, agricultural industry, and our natural resources. The Department will strive to promote agri-business in Illinois and throughout the world.
Vision Statement
The Department’s vision is to promote and regulate agriculture in a manner which encourages farming and agribusiness while protecting Illinois’ consumers and our natural resources.
Agency Functions
The Department is organized into 5 Divisions and the Executive Office. Each Division, and the Executive Office, consist of multiple Bureaus. Additional analysis is not provided for each identified unit within the Department, but all Bureaus/Programs that constitute major programs.
- Food Safety and Animal Protection
- Bureau of Meat and Poultry Inspection
- Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare
- Egg Inspection Program
- Bureau of Land and Water Resources
- Bureau of Environmental Programs
- Bureau of Computer Services
- Bureau of Support Services
- Natural Resources
- Agriculture Industry Regulation
- Bureau of Agricultural Productions Inspection
- Bureau of Weights and Measures
- Bureau of Warehouses
- Administrative Services
- Division of Cannabis Regulation (Formerly Bureau of Medicinal Plants, created 1/1/2020)
- Bureau of Licensing and Administration
- Bureau of Inspections
- Hemp Program
The Executive Office consists of the following:
- Legal
- Legislative
- Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Services
- Bureau of Human Resources
- Bureau of Du Quoin State Fair (previously part of the Division of Fairs and Promotional Services)
- Bureau of Illinois State Fair (previously part of the Division of Fairs and Promotional Services)
- Bureau of Marketing, Promotion and Grants
- Bureau of County Fairs and Horse Racing (previously part of the Division of Fairs and Promotional Services)
- Audit
- Federal Liaison
- Procurement
- Administration
Agency Planning Program
The Department’s primary functions are regulatory. As such, the Department’s long and short-term goals are in meeting its mandates and are tracked by performance measures and quantitative outcomes that are monitored consistently by bureaus to make sure the Department is meeting its mission.
Major objectives/priorities include protecting individuals from mislabeled, contaminated, or diseased agricultural commodities; preserving the State’s natural resources while at the same time protecting productive agricultural land; monitoring the safety of the food supply; and performing inspections to safeguard consumers. Additionally, the Department promotes the agricultural industry by providing domestic and international marketing assistance to both established and new Illinois food and agribusiness companies.
Annual performance measures will be submitted to the Budgeting for Results system through the Office of Management and Budget as well as Public Accountability Report to the Office of Illinois Comptroller and provide more comprehensive metrics. The management of each Bureau is responsible for the accuracy of their reported information.
Significant Challenges
The Department experienced logistical, budgetary, and safety challenges during the audit period due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to having numerous staff that work in the field to conduct inspections and examinations of various entities and devices. Pandemic mitigations required unexpected purchases of large amounts of various supplies such as hand sanitizer, face masks, gloves, and disinfectants, as well as significant amounts of revenue being deferred.
The Department had additional budgetary challenges due to a temporary suspension of statutory fund transfers to the Agricultural Premium Fund (Fund) during fiscal years 2018 and 2020, a total of $47,539,778. The Fund received appropriated expenditure authority for $29,001,200 of the Department’s total $115,085,931, or 25%, as authorized by the Illinois General Assembly and Governor for fiscal year 2021. The Department continues to monitor and project cash flows for the Fund and is actively working with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget to reduce expenditures sourced from the Fund.
