Illinois

In 2008, Illinois received an unprecedented amount of rainfall, which flooded thousands of acres of agricultural lands. Historically, much of this land was floodplains that held and drained water. But in the past century, over half of the floodplains in Illinois have been altered by levees, lock and...

Monmouth, Ill., residents Vicki and Ted Briscoe want to know when their access to the Internet will no longer be hampered by a slow dial up connection. The answer—12 to 18 months—came from Noah Campbell, vice president of community relations for Utopian Wireless Corp, at a talk show-style forum held...

Last Sunday, CBS News featured USDA Deputy Secretary Merrigan and discussed how farmers markets are part of a fundamental shift in the way people access their food and interact with their community. And, as the story notes, “… [f]armers markets and other forms of selling straight to customers are...

Written by USDA Public Relations Intern Megan Harrison In celebration of June as National Homeownership Month, I had the privilege of travelling all over the state of Illinois (from Freeport in northern Illinois to 400 miles south in Carterville, and a few places in between) with Illinois Rural...

By Paige Buck, Illinois NRCS The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Illinois is working to get the word out on the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and encourage signup by landowners who may have heard about the program but are still “on the fence.”

By Joan Messina, Public Information Coordinator USDA Rural Development celebrated a magnificent Earth Day in the bright spring sunshine at Vandalia Lake in Fayette County, Illinois, last Thursday. The clouds rolled away just hours before we joined Fayette Water Company (FWC) to mark the advent of...

Cross-Posted from the White House Blog . Rural areas are home to about 50 million Americans and are an essential part of the overall economy. As the President embarks on the next stops on the White House to Main Street Tour in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, the CEA today released a report that...

“Where’s the beef?” And the pork, and chicken? At RMH Foods in Morton, Illinois…thanks to a USDA Rural Development guaranteed loan!

On a Friday filled with forecasts of freezing rain and snow advisories, more than 170 attendees became an overflow crowd at John A.

Things were “rolling” at Park Lanes in Newton, Illinois Thursday morning for Rural Development’s Road Show. This was our fifth Road Show where we shared how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) can help do what’s needed in rural communities. This time we met with “scores” of our east...