Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a natural disaster designation for McLean County and 11 other counties following heavy rains earlier this year.

After a $75 million candy plant expansion goes into operation in Bloomington, Heartland Community College will expand a program to train workers for Ferrero North America.

A longtime 4-H leader in McLean County says many young people of color have little exposure to farming and don't get to see the benefits it can have in their daily lives.

A new assessment of the state strategy to reduce nutrient runoff shows mixed results. “The trajectory will not meet the goals of the strategy,” said Kris Reynolds with the ag environmental group, American Farmland Trust.

What had promised to be a record corn crop in central Illinois earlier this year, may not be one after all.

The newly formed Central Illinois FarmFED Co-op in Logan County met its $100,000 initial fundraising goal in just one month.

A new estimate from Bloomington-based First Mid Ag Services projected an estimated average yield of 231 bushes an acre for corn in McLean County.

Historic flooding resulted in catastrophic loss for one central Illinois farm.

Heartland Community College is moving ahead with a proposal for a $23.4 million agriculture building — the first major item included in the college's new strategic plan.

A new online resource, FarmStress.org, aims to help farmers manage stress, anxiety, depression, or substance use issues.