Infrastructure

Finally there’s no more talk of drought. The recent rains have kept the pastures looking good. Harvest in this area is probably on par with other years — many finished with beans, but not so much here.

For thousands of years, waterways have been essential as a food source and transportation means and are now a major avenue for economically and efficiently moving grain and other freight.

Victor Tsvyk harvested 4,800 tons of wheat this month, but after Russia exited a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain to the world, he has no idea where his produce will go, or how his beloved farm will survive.

Indiana Farm Bureau Vice President Kendell Culp visited Washington, D.C., to testify at a U.S. House Committee on Small Business. He discussed the challenges of operating a small business in rural Indiana.

Matt Rush was waiting for rain, watching his corn crop grow. “It looks good. Obviously, we’re dry. But it’s held on remarkably well for the lack of rain we’ve had,” he said.

Indiana Farm Bureau hosted nine policy advisory groups in which farmers worked through county policy suggestions.

A new constructed wetland and restored wetland site in Livingston County was among the stops as part of the Mississippi River Network’s River Days of Action.

Legislation creating the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission Act was unanimously passed by both chambers of the General Assembly and awaits the governor’s signature.

The Illinois Soybean Association recognizes that rural roads and bridges serve as the initial link in the agricultural supply chain.

The farm sector shouldn’t see quite as many transportation-related challenges this year compared to 2022, according to industry experts at the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois’ 130th annual convention in Peoria.

The Illinois Soybean Association applauded the U.S. Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center and the Navigation and Civil Works Decision Support Center for recently approving the Northern Grain Belt Ports on the Upper Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

As I pen this column, critical infrastructure across our country remains on alert after an attack on two substations in North Carolina. Those attacks cut power to tens of thousands for several days.

The philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Co. said it is giving $1 million to help west Tennessee communities improve infrastructure as they prepare for the automaker’s electric truck and battery factory.

Two Illinois cooperatives will receive federal funding through the infrastructure bill to expand high-speed internet in those areas. The Hamilton County Telephone Co-op received a loan of over $12.41 million and a grant for the same amount.

The newly-designated Corn Belt Ports have reaped the benefits of the federal recognition with increased investments from state and federal governments and nonprofit organizations.