Even in a global pumpkin destination, Ackerman Family Farms in Morton is closing the agritourism part of the farm after 25 years of business, largely because of labor costs. Owner John Ackerman said, “Labor’s our single largest expense, and the minimum wage has almost doubled in the last six years. Not that it’s wrong, but it affects us and other expenses.”
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.