With near-record flooding and a serious delay in the planting season, Governor JB Pritzker is trying to ensure Illinois farmers can access all available state resources.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture will offer a 400-thousand dollar cover crop incentive program for farmers who have filed Prevented Planting claims. The Department of Ag also has a "Flood Assistance" tab now with links to available State and Federal flood assistance resources.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has launched a comprehensive flood recovery website to address the needs of those impacted by severe flooding...from emergency housing assistance to replacing SNAP benefits or agricultural aid. The site is here.
Other initiatives include:
• IEMA will continue to facilitate coordination between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and local levee districts to evaluate the health and integrity of levees throughout the state.
• IEMA will work with local governments to identify projects and programs dedicated to local mitigation and remediation.
• IEMA continues to work to enhance communication networks in rural Illinois through the deployment of Starcom technology and IPAWs messaging to alert residents of impending threats to health, safety and property.
• IEMA, through the State Emergency Operations Center, will facilitate the removal of debris, access to roads/rivers, and availability of necessary resources to address agribusiness logistical concerns.