Struggling Illinois farmers are expecting some relief after the USDA declared a disaster in all 102 of the state’s counties. The declaration would give farmers and other agricultural businesses access to low-interest loans through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “You never want to be declared a disaster area because that really means you have adverse conditions,” said Mark Tuttle, a farmer for the past 40 years in Somonauk, Illinois. “But the fact that the federal government is there, that’s a security blanket.” (WTTW)