U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Illinois

Capitol News Illinois

Illinois program to provide food benefits to former SNAP recipients

A new state program took effect Saturday to provide food benefits to people who have recently become ineligible because of federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger, or FRESH, program kicked off Aug. 1 after state lawmakers appropriated $70 million in the fiscal year 2027 budget to establish a state food assistance program. The initiative allows households that lost their SNAP benefits earlier this year to receive a $400 one-time payment. “At […]

todayAugust 1, 2026

Illinois food assistance

Capitol News Illinois

Illinois food assistance error rate continues

SPRINGFIELD (Capitol News Illinois) -- Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows Illinois’ payment error rate for food assistance continues to grow with federal penalties set to take effect in about a year. The data shows Illinois made errors on 14.7% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments in federal fiscal year 2025. That includes 13.3% of all payments being higher than they should have been. The error rate is higher than the 11.6% rate of the previous […]

todayJune 27, 2026

Argentina beef imports to U.S.

FarmWeekNow

U.S. to boost Argentina beef imports

(FarmWeekNow) -- President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will increase imports of lean beef trimmings in 2026 from Argentina to help alleviate high beef prices. The executive order issued Feb. 6 outlines the plan to bump imports by 80,000 metric tons (mt) as beef prices have increased as a result of droughts, wildfires, and import restrictions from Mexico. The U.S. cattle herd has fallen to a record low of 86.2 million head as of January 2026, with beef cow inventory […]

todayFebruary 11, 2026 1 2

Illinois farm support

Capitol News Illinois

Illinois scrambles to boost locally produced farm products

SPRINGFIELD (Capitol News Illinois) — When Illinois named small farmer Nathan Ryder a finalist for a federal $100,000 Local Food Infrastructure Grant, he made big plans for his farm in the southeastern tip of the state. Then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut his funding. The Ryder family farm, a 10-acre operation in Pope County that produces chicken eggs, sheep, and some fruits and vegetables, would have used the money to purchase a refrigerated truck.  Ryder said he wanted to […]

todayApril 22, 2025

Illinois health vaccine

Capitol News Illinois

How RFK Jr.’s health proposals could affect Illinois

WASHINGTON/SPRINGFIELD (Capitol News Illinois) -- Every new presidential administration comes with policy changes, but the incoming second administration of President-elect Donald Trump and his proposed secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could dramatically reshape the public health landscape. Kennedy, a former political rival of Trump, became a close ally of Trump over the final months of the 2024 campaign and was named to the HHS post shortly after the election. The department houses the National Institutes […]

todayDecember 5, 2024

USDA soybean

Business News

USDA forecasts increase in soybean acres

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that U.S. farmers will plant more soybean acres this crop year with less earmarked for corn and wheat. During the agency’s Agricultural Outlook Forum, USDA economist Jake Vuillemin said the three crops are expected to cover 225.5 million acres, a decrease of 2.3 million, but still above the five-year average. Wheat acres have the largest anticipated decline at 5% to 47 million acres, while corn acres are expected to decline 4% to 91 million […]

todayFebruary 18, 2024

Washington DC government shutdown

Opinion-Editorial

OP-ED: It’s government shutdown season

On a good day, I forget that the government exists. I drive to the grocery store on smooth roads and drop my mail off at the little blue box that sits at the end of my street, and I consider going to the library, as a treat for a productive errand run.  Roads, mail, libraries: these are just a few of the public goods provided by the government, paid for by our tax money. And I’m happy to pay for […]

todaySeptember 27, 2023

Illinois broadband

Illinois

$30 million headed to southern Illinois for rural broadband

SPRINGFIELD (FarmWeekNow) -- At least 121 farms, 145 businesses, 10 educational facilities and nearly 5,000 people across rural areas of three southern Illinois counties will soon have access to high-speed internet under nearly $30 million in federal grants awarded Aug. 21. The funding, allocated through the fourth round of USDA Rural Development’s ReConnect Program, is part of a larger $667 million in grants and loans for 37 projects in 22 states. Illinois’ share, which totals $28.669 million, will be split […]

todayAugust 22, 2023 1

Perdue

Consumer Alerts

Alert issued for Perdue chicken tenders

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for Perdue frozen ready-to-eat gluten-free chicken breast tenders. The FSIS states they may have contamination with small pieces of clear plastic and blue dye. The agency specifically said Tuesday that the product in question was "42 oz. plastic bags containing Perdue Chicken Breast Tenders Gluten Free." The product has a "Best if Used By: 07 12 23" label and a […]

todayAugust 24, 2022

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