Agriculture

The McLean County Farm Bureau is expressing disappointment with the redesigned intersection of College Avenue and Rivian Motorway, also also known as Route 150. Under construction, it will be a roundabout.

The government shutdown stops USDA from administering farm subsidies, raising the specter of growing farm foreclosures. It also delays a bailout President Trump had promised for farmers impacted by tariffs.

The Trump administration is promising billions in a bailout for farmers. This harvest season the trade war with China has added to the farm economy’s woes, as producers deal with lower crop prices and high costs.

Farmland owners who want to sell their acreage are holding back this fall, compared with this time last year — while land prices have declined slightly.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expecting a strong corn and soybean harvest this year. But low crop prices, high input costs and international trade uncertainty could hurt farmers.

Soybean industry workers and buyers shared their thoughts on the agricultural trade war between the U.S. and China during a tour of the Illinois Soybean Association offices in Bloomington.

Ryan Whitehouse, the Illinois Farm Bureau’s director of national legislation, died Wednesday following an accident in Michigan.

China typically buys close to half of the soybeans grown in the U.S. But the ongoing trade war means farmers in the Midwest must consider other options — and none are as profitable.

Brendyn Morgan credited several aspects of his life in deciding to run for public office, including his six years in the Army, his work in public housing and lessons from his single mom.

Heading into the last weekend of summer, the Bloomington-Normal area has had rain one time in the last month, according to data from state climatologist Trent Ford. The lack of rain has led to moderate drought for nearly all of McLean County.