Quinn to give plan addressing drought

Associated Press

WALTONVILLE— Gov. Pat Quinn plans to release details of a plan to address Illinois’ drought.

Quinn is scheduled to visit the farm of James Laird in the southern Illinois community of Waltonville on Monday.

The Illinois Farm Bureau says it’s the six driest year on record so far. The average precipitation of the first half of the year was 12.6 inches. Much of Illinois’ corn and soybean crop is suffering. Farm officials say southern Illinois is getting the worst of it.

Quinn is expected to detail what government relief may be available.

Drought is affecting much of the Midwest, where almost a third of the nation’s corn crop has been damaged by heat and drought so severe that some farmers have cut down crops midway through the growing season.