A federal index designed to flag monopoly risk shows rural grocery markets were already in deep trouble years ago. Proposed USDA cuts could make it even harder for small towns to bounce back.
State government resistance and Trump’s rollback of food infrastructure funding have undermined Illinois lawmakers' efforts to keep food dollars local and support small producers.
Every Saturday, farmer Liz Graznak and her staff begin their day before dawn, loading a trailer full of organic produce, eggs and flowers. They pull out of Happy Hollow Farm