University of Chicago Bridging the Divide
Photo credit: ILFB staff

The University of Chicago and Illinois Farm Bureau are working together to shorten the gap between city life and country life through the Bridging the Divide program, which is spearheaded by the university’s Institute of Politics.

Students who grew up and live in urban areas lack exposure to and understanding of rural lifestyles, including the importance of agriculture. This year, as part of that program, Farm Bureau helped organize a visit to a dairy farm near Peoria, where students discussed various unique rural issues that Illinois farmers experience. They sought to gain an understanding of the challenges within the ag sector, such as depressed dairy prices and the financial costs of running a farm, using their knowledge of politics to ask insightful questions about how current policies have affected agriculture. Organizers of the program hope that experiences like these can help Illinoisans from different backgrounds come together and understand each other’s perspective a bit better.

See more: Connecting Illinois’ Rural Communities

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