Floods, food, farms top Ag Legislative Day topics
Sunshine Tuesday greeted thousands of Illinois agricultural leaders and FFA members and advisers from across the state for the 50th Agricultural Legislative Day at the Capitol.
Addressing gathered leaders in the Illinois State Library, Gov. J.B. Pritzker recalled last year’s historic flooding. At a White House meeting, Pritzker said he sought President Donald Trump’s support for more flood fighting help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Rebuilding levees and protecting basic infrastructure is important,” the governor said.
In a news conference later, Pritzker told reporters the Rebuild Illinois capital plan includes money for levees. “I’ve spoken to governors of other Midwestern states, and they’ve warned others, as we have, that we may have another year of flooding like we had last year. That would be devastating,” the governor said. “This is a problem all across the Midwest - not just Illinois. To me, this is a national issue. They (the Trump administration) need to step up to the plate and help us deal with it.”
During the news conference, Acting Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said state officials “are trying to get together with the federal government to come to some kind of resolution” on some farmers’ inability to obtain crop insurance in areas where levees aren’t certified. He added, “This has been an ongoing process for many years.”
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Addressing gathered leaders in the Illinois State Library, Gov. J.B. Pritzker recalled last year’s historic flooding. At a White House meeting, Pritzker said he sought President Donald Trump’s support for more flood fighting help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Rebuilding levees and protecting basic infrastructure is important,” the governor said.
In a news conference later, Pritzker told reporters the Rebuild Illinois capital plan includes money for levees. “I’ve spoken to governors of other Midwestern states, and they’ve warned others, as we have, that we may have another year of flooding like we had last year. That would be devastating,” the governor said. “This is a problem all across the Midwest - not just Illinois. To me, this is a national issue. They (the Trump administration) need to step up to the plate and help us deal with it.”
During the news conference, Acting Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said state officials “are trying to get together with the federal government to come to some kind of resolution” on some farmers’ inability to obtain crop insurance in areas where levees aren’t certified. He added, “This has been an ongoing process for many years.”
Click Here to read more.