The rush is on for farmers looking to stake their claim on a new trove of stimulus funds earmarked for agriculture. Perdue’s challenge is to get money into the hands of farmers, who are hemorrhaging profits and increasingly dumping their products, as fast as possible — but without skewing their business decisions like which crops to plant or drawing any charges of political favoritism. (Politico)

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says USDA wants to provide relief from the COVID-19 crisis to eligible farm sectors “sooner rather than later,” but the department will have to wait until this summer at the earliest to distribute an additional $14 billion in aid. (Agri-Pulse)

A new wave of coronavirus cases is spreading deep into rural corners of the country where people once hoped their communities might be shielded because of their isolation from hard-hit urban centers and the natural social distancing of life in the countryside. The coronavirus has officially reached more than two-thirds of the country’s rural counties, with one in 10 reporting at least one death. (New York Times)

As farmers get to work, there will be a lot more farming vehicles on Illinois’ roadways over the next few weeks. Even with less vehicles on the road due to the Stay At Home Order in Illinois, spring planting season is still one of the most dangerous times for farmers on the roads and in the fields. (WAND)

Farmers and suppliers say the lockdowns are going to complicate the planting process, but that they’re optimistic that with precautions and planning, they’ll be able to minimize the threat of illness and keep disruptions largely at bay. (MarketWatch)

Illinois farmers in 2019 harvested 5,233 acres of hemp last year in the state’s inaugural growing season. According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, a total of 7,141 acres of hemp were planted with 73% harvested. (The Telegraph)