President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday evening, using the Defense Production Act (DPA) to order meat processing plants to stay open and designating them as critical infrastructure. The order will apply to all meat processing plants in the U.S. in an effort to prevent further disruptions to the food supply. (The Hill)

The nation’s food supply chain is being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and farmers in Illinois are feeling the impact. Illinois is the fourth biggest pork producer in the country, and the state’s pork farmers are losing big money as they try and find an open processing plant. (ABC Chicago)  

It hasn’t been the mildest month, nor has it been the most pleasant. But, farmers aren’t complaining. In fact, most in Illinois and Wisconsin are embracing the fact it has been a drier than normal month, which has allowed them to make significant progress in planting this year’s corn and soybean crop. (WIFR)

The U.S. Senate has passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act which would provide $484 billion in aid for small businesses, including farms. The bill would also fund additional testing and provide more support to hospitals. The bill heads to the House of Representatives for a vote later this week.

The spread of coronavirus through employees at some of the nation’s largest meat plants could slow the flow of food, depending on how long plant closures last. At the same time, other plants that normally supply the food service industry with larger quantities of food are not equipped to distribute smaller packages suitable for grocery stores. (Capitol News Illinois)

The county Farm Bureaus in northwest Illinois comprising of Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Ogle and Winnebago-Boone, in partnership with Illinois Farm Bureau, are donating a total of $5,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank and River Bend Foodbank to purchase over 1,900 gallons of milk for 31 local food pantries. (WIFR)