|  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 sixth-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. 
[Associated Press] 
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