Lawsuit Alleges Farmworkers Sickened After Pesticide Exposure
In late July 2019, a group of migrant farmworkers from south Texas was working in a cornfield in DeWitt County, Ill., when suddenly a crop duster flew…
Biden’s Win Leaves Farmers Less Optimistic About The Future
In October, Purdue University’s Ag Economy Barometer recorded its highest-ever index, meaning farmers were at an all-time high level of optimism….
Food Insecurity Disproportionately Affects Certain Regions, U Of I Study Shows
URBANA – Before the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of food insecurity were lower than they had been in more than two decades, according to hunger relief nonprofit Feeding America. Now that trend is reversing, and millions more Americans are facing hunger this year due to loss of employment and reduced access to school meals. Feeding America…
Food Banks Brace For Cold Weather, Holiday Season
URBANA – Since March, Eastern Illinois Foodbank has distributed almost nine million pounds of food. At this point last year, that number was just over seven million pounds. And demand isn’t slowing down. “The volume of food that we’ve been putting out has definitely changed because of the pandemic,” says Molly Delaney, Vice President of Development…
Farm Tools Were Designed For Men. That’s A Problem For The Increasing Number Of Female Farmers.
Dusty Spurgeon is proud to be a female farmer. She and her mother-in-law, Eloise, run Spurgeon Veggies, a small vegetable farm located in Rio, Illinois….
‘Incredibly Unlikely’ China Will Meet Its Trade Targets, Expert Says
It’s been almost ten months since the signing of the first phase of a trade agreement between the United States and China. In the lofty deal, China…
“Lo arriesgo todo o nada”. La necesidad de trabajar supera las COVID preocupaciones para migrantes
En las afueras de Rantoul, en el centro-este de Illinois, unos 100 trabajadores agrícolas migrantes están viviendo en un viejo hotel localizado en una…
Voices From Illinois’ 15th Congressional District
Illinois’ 15th congressional district is one of two in the state where no incumbent is running. But this article is about the district itself, not candidates. All congressional districts are required to have roughly the same population, but there are no limits on territory. Illinois’ 15th District covers 14,696 square miles, or more land than…
‘Either I Risk It All Or Nothing At All’: Migrant Workers’ Need To Work Outweighs COVID-19 Concerns
On the outskirts of Rantoul, in east-central Illinois, about 100 migrant farmworkers are living at an old hotel in a sleepy part of town. Every day at…
State Database Reveals Details Of Covid-19 Outbreaks In Champaign County
URBANA — Previously confidential statewide data tracking coronavirus cases across Illinois shows that there have been at least 50 different outbreaks in Champaign County traced to restaurants, stores, churches, nursing homes, hospitals and in a county office. The internal database kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health has tracked case counts for nearly 2,600…
Gardening Is A ‘Silver Lining’ For Many Weary Of The Coronavirus Pandemic
In the midst of what has otherwise been a heavy, unrelenting year, many Midwesterners have found solace in the dirt. So-called “COVID gardens” have…
Farmers Are Getting Another Round Of Coronavirus Aid, But USDA Hasn’t Fully Spent The First One
At a campaign rally in Wisconsin last week, President Trump announced U.S. farmers will receive an additional $14 billion in coronavirus relief aid….
For One Food Insecure Family, The Pandemic Leaves Them With ‘No Wiggle Room’
Ja Nelle Pleasure never used to think twice about putting food on the table for her family. In fact, the Pleasure family revolved around food. One of…
Migrant Clinics Offering COVID-19 Testing To Farmworkers Face Challenges
CHICAGO – The U.S. food supply depends on millions of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of circumstances in which they live and work. Outbreaks of COVID-19 on farms have killed more than a dozen farmworkers nationwide, and infected thousands more, according to tracking from the Food and Environment Reporting…
New Mobile Market Aims To Alleviate Hunger In Champaign-Urbana
CHAMPAIGN – Nearly 16% of Champaign County residents struggle to afford food, according to a 2020 Feeding America study. A new bus on the streets of Champaign-Urbana is aiming to alleviate that. The new Mobile Market is the product of a partnership between Carle Health and the newly formed Champaign-Urbana City Farms. The pay-what-you-can food…