Illinois (US) grants worth more than $ 700,000 will be provided over three years to special crop growers to promote fresh local produce.

Money is allocated under the Federal Crop Subsidy Program. Applications are available on the Department of Agriculture website and must be submitted by April 26th. Relevant projects should begin in calendar year 2020. The distribution of the first year will be $ 237,000.

Illinois has more than 3,600 specialized farms covering more than 85,000 acres (34,000 hectares) with total production of over $ 500 million. Government officials encourage grant proposals that focus on issues such as food safety, special crop research, support organic special crops, the development of improved varieties of seeds, pest and disease control and much more.The main crops grown in Illinois are corn, soy, wheat and milk. By soybean harvest, the state most often becomes the first or second state in the United States. Pigs and cows are raised from livestock. The Chicago area remains the world center for the food and meat industry.