USDA ‘Lacks Transparency’ In How It’s Distributing Coronavirus Aid
In the past two weeks, the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) has issued about $1.4 billion to agricultural producers to provide a boost…
Champaign County, Georgetown Fairs Cancel Due To Coronavirus Worries
URBANA — The Champaign County Fair in Urbana and the Georgetown Fair in Vermilion County are the latest summer events to fall victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a post on their Facebook page, the Champaign County Fair Association board of directors stated that “after weeks of monitoring and many discussions between our board members and local…
Controversial Herbicide Dicamba No Longer Legal, Federal Court Rules
Farmers can no longer spray the controversial pesticide dicamba over-the-top of genetically modified soybeans and cotton, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. Dicamba is a weed killer that skyrocketed in use in recent years after agribusiness giant Monsanto introduced genetically engineered soybean and cotton seeds that resist the herbicide. The ruling means…
Struggling Rural Grocery Stores Get A Pandemic-Driven Boost
John Paul Coonrod usually recognizes most of his customers. Lately, though, he says there have been a lot of unfamiliar faces at Great Scott! Community…
Pork Processing Slowed, But For Now Farmers Largely Spared From Euthanizing Their Pigs
Pork processing fell nearly 40 percent following temporary closures at meatpacking plants across the Midwest last month. That’s created a backlog of…
County Health Officials Worry Meatpacking Plants Are Reopening Too Soon
Meatpacking plants are starting to reopen after President Trump signed an executive order intended to prevent shortages. Now, some county health…
Locally ‘Essential,’ Federally Illegal: How Cannabis Dispensaries Are Handling The Pandemic
Like many small business owners, Amy Manganelli has taken a financial hit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. So, a few weeks ago, she decided…
Processing Plant Hit With Covid-19 Under Scrutiny Since March
The meat processing plant hit with a coronavirus outbreak came under scrutiny by health officials in March before it was cited for being more than 90% out of compliance with infection control practices last week. Public health officials said they visited Rantoul Foods – which had 47 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of May 5…
Covid-19 Outbreak Hits Rantoul Meat Processing Plant
This story has been updated on Tuesday May 5 at 12:00 p.m. to reflect updated case numbers. One of the largest meat processing plants in central Illinois is battling an outbreak of coronavirus in which 21 cases of Covid-19 have been already been counted, a company official confirmed Monday. By late afternoon, that number stood…
C-U Outdoor Farmers Markets Will Open, But With Changes
This weekend marks the opening of Market at the Square, Urbana’s outdoor farmers market held in the Lincoln Square Mall parking lot. Although it will open as scheduled, there will be social distancing measures in place to protect shoppers and vendors. For one, all shoppers are required to wear masks upon entry and are required…
Farmers Find Help Close To Home As COVID-19 Keeps Some Guest Workers Away
It’s planting season across much of the United States, and for some farmers who rely on foreign guest workers for help in the fields, the pandemic is…
Food Banks Working To Meet Heightened Demand With Less Supply
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more Illinoisans are turning to their local food pantries for help. Meanwhile, with grocery store shelves emptied out and the food chain disrupted, food banks are doing their best to meet the increased demand. Food banks typically act as the middleman in securing food from suppliers and distributing them to…
Animal Disease Labs Step In To Help Meet Need for COVID-19 Testing
Many of the public health labs determining whether people have COVID-19 have become at least overworked or, at worst, overwhelmed. Some of the country’s…
Despite COVID-19, Local Farmers Markets Still Plan To Open In May
Despite Governor J.B. Pritzker’s classification of farmers markets as “essential” under his shelter-in-place mandate, the indoor farmers market in downtown Urbana has been closed for the past several weeks. According to Darius White, Executive Director of the Urbana Business Association which organizes the indoor market, it has been closed because the owner of the Lincoln…
Farmers Who Sell Directly To Consumers ‘Plan For The Worst’ Amid COVID-19
It’s become a common sight at grocery stores across the country: empty shelves , devoid of essential food and household items. Illinois, which is facing…