SHAWNEETOWN, Ill.. (WFIE) - Shovels were in the dirt marking a new era for Shawneetown and Southern Illinois and the beginning of a new $23 million dollar fertilizer distribution center.

Those behind the project say it was all made possible by a grant awarded by the state of Illinois in 2022.

They say this investment in Southern Illinois is a big win.

“The new fertilizer terminal will be a will be a critical piece of our future,” Governor JB Pritzker says. “With prices skyrocketing, our agriculture industry needs relief. This project will cut costs for our farmers and will help them feed the US and the world.”

President Patrick Scates of Scates Group Intermodal River Terminal, who lives in White County, says the governor being there meant a lot.

“A lot of us in rural areas feel like w

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