Illinois Farm Bureau working to support farming community during COVID-19 pandemic

Posted on March 27, 2020
The Illinois Farm Bureau is addressing the coronavirus outbreak on its website with a page devoted to the subject. (Photo courtesy: Illinois Farm Bureau/Facebook)

By Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Farm Bureau is working to support those in the farming community who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization added a page devoted to COVID-19 on its website. It includes information on economic impacts, livestock and mental health resource for farmers.

DeeAnn Bloomberg, director of Issues Management with the Illinois Farm Bureau, said a section last year devoted to the tough planting season provided a test run for this crisis.

“We just took a cue from last year and started this one knowing that the amount of information that is going to be flowing through the pipeline needs to get to our members as soon as possible,” she said.

Bloomberg said it was important to have mental health resources available. She said it had been a difficult stretch for farmers who now have to deal with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus that emerged in late 2019.

“Farmers were already dealing with some really stressful times entering really our seventh year of depressed farm economy,” Bloomberg said.

For information, go to www.ilfb.org and click on the COVID-19 tab.

Illinois Radio Network can be reached at [email protected]. 

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