GLB Rail Line fails

The proposed Great Lakes Basin Rail Line, a private railroad project proposed by Frank Patton to bypass Chicago’s rail congestion, was rejected by the Surface Transportation Board at the end of August.

“We’re happy to see that the Surface Transportation Board concurred with our written objections when they found Great Lakes Basin Transportation’s application to be incomplete and the company’s assets insufficient to complete such a project,” says Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr.

The proposed rail route covered six Illinois counties: Kankakee, LaSalle, Ogle, Lee, Grundy, Winnebago and Boone. 

“Despite evidence showing the rail line unnecessary, the proposed 261-mile project would have cut through prime Illinois farmland, disturbing nearly 5,000 acres for the rail line and another 14,700 acres for the rail port in Manteno,” he adds.

Source: Illinois Farm Bureau

Illinois Ag in the Classroom receives donation

Illinois Ag in the Classroom received a $90,000 donation from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board during the 2017 Farm Progress Show. The funds will go toward county Ag in the Classroom programs throughout the state.

Illinois Ag in the Classroom provides Illinois educators and students with resources to help them understand agriculture’s vital role in their lives and society.

“Our Illinois Corn Marketing Board of Directors all believe in the mission of Ag in the Classroom and are proud to be a part of the effort to educate Illinois youth about the importance of agriculture in our state and our world,” says Paul Jeschke, ICMB chairman. “The Ag in the Classroom staff and volunteers are to be commended for their tremendous work throughout the state.”

Source: IL Corn

Program targets medical students returning to rural communities 

Medical students seeking recommendations or financial support may apply for the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program (RIMSAP), which was established by the Illinois State Medical Society and Illinois Farm Bureau to increase the number of rural primary care physicians in Illinois.

“There’s an uneven distribution of doctors in rural areas versus urban areas,” says Donna Gallivan, manager of RIMSAP. “That’s why Illinois Farm Bureau began partnering with the Illinois State Medical Society — to get doctors in the places needed most. Since the program began in 1948, RIMSAP has helped more than 800 medical students obtain a medical degree while placing qualified doctors in Illinois’ rural communities.”

Interested students must have a grade point average no lower than 3.5 on a 5-point scale and may apply for recommendations for entry to the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Nontraditional students who have completed their undergraduate degree also are welcome to apply. Once accepted into medical school, RIMSAP students are eligible for educational loans up to $50,000 at a 4% interest rate for the four years of medical school.

In exchange for a recommendation or financial assistance provided by RIMSAP, students agree to specialize in family practice or another primary health care field such as internal medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics, OB-GYN, psychiatry, general surgery, emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, or anesthesiology, and agree to establish a practice in an approved rural Illinois community for at least five years.

RIMSAP applicants must be Illinois residents and must file their application by Nov. 1 to be considered for the 2018 freshman class. Applicants also must complete the required American Medical College Admission Service forms and mail them by Oct. 1 to be on record with the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Source: Illinois Farm Bureau