Raymond Poe is taking over as director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture at a difficult time.

 

The state is six months into the new fiscal year without a budget. Even when the state has had a budget, the department has sustained repeated cuts over the years.

The Illinois Farm Bureau is raising questions about the future of soil and water conservation districts and even food inspections if these trends continue.

 

Now Poe, a lifelong farmer and former Republican state representative from Springfield, is stepping into an agency that he thinks many people don't know plays an important role in their lives.

 

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