Food & Farming

A Democratic congressman from the Chicago area brought his concerns about President Trump’s tariffs to a farm just south of Bloomington on Thursday, accusing the administration of sowing “chaos and uncertainty” with its confrontational approach to trade policy.

Illinois was approved for $43 million in federal reimbursement funds for two food programs designed to strengthen statewide food systems. But when the Trump administration took office it informed the state, without explanation, that the remaining $17.8 million in federal agriculture reimbursements still owed to Illinois would cease after Jan. 19, 2025.

An agriculture executive in Bloomington says tariffs are creating a lot of uncertainty heading into a new planting season.

The Trump administration wants to rewrite the definition for what counts as protected ‘waters of the United States.' The rule has caused frustration among farmers, but environmental attorneys worry a change could lead to more pollution.

Six years ago, Illinois became the second state in the nation to offer subsidies to farmers for planting cover crops in the fall, an effort to reverse its status as one of the worst states for agriculture runoff. Despite the program’s popularity and calls from environmentalists and farmers for its funding to increase, Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed a 31% funding cut.

Museum executive director Beth Whisman announced the donation from the McLean County Farm Bureau at the annual McLean County Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Awareness breakfast on Wednesday.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said earlier this month that economic aid payments Congress approved late last year are on the way. But with days left before the deadline, some farmers are anxiously waiting.

The head of the Illinois Farm Bureau is urging the federal government to walk back tariffs that could damage the agriculture sector.

Farmers, politicians and agriculture experts are raising alarm about the impact of potential tariffs on Canadian potash, a key mineral needed for fertilizer.

Our sister station WCBU spoke to several employees impacted by job cuts at the Peoria Ag Lab, the largest federal employer in Greater Peoria. “It is a slap in the face to be treated this way," one of them said.

A federal freeze on certain USDA programs has held up billions of dollars for conservation and caused layoffs at a nonprofit in Iowa that supports soil and water quality.

Retaliatory tariffs by China could hurt McLean County more than most counties in the U.S. and more than all but one other county in Illinois.