Families celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with a cookout will find that prices at the grocery store closely reflect inflation increases over the last year, reports Jim Henry.

The latest projections highlight the challenges farmers continue to face as input costs remain elevated with historically low commodity prices.

Hoosiers are paying an average of $66.73 for a cookout feeding 10 people this summer, or $6.67 per person — a 7% decrease compared to last year, according to a survey form Indiana Farm Bureau.

Around 160 people attended the 2026 Livestock Summit in Indianapolis, bringing together leaders and farmers from across the state.

From weaning and transportation to commingling and even changes in weather, cattle move through a series of stressful events that can challenge their immune functions.

Four outstanding FFA members involved with raising livestock, conducting research projects and painting farm equipment were named top in the state during the Stars Over Illinois Ceremony.

The FFA journey for Claire Woeppel is a legacy.

Detection and containment methods have improved since New World screwworm was previously in the United States — but eradication could take significant time, cautions Jim Henry.

Data centers create both economic opportunities and resource pressures, particularly around land, water and energy.

The 97th Indiana FFA State Convention wrapped up with an impressive showing of leadership, skill and community impact.

At a time when farmers are facing the toughest economic environment we’ve seen in a generation, we need every tool available to help strengthen farm income and create new opportunities for agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of New World screwworm in Texas and New Mexico, sounding the alarm for producers across the country to be cautious and keep an eye out for the pest.

As cases of New World screwworm spread and threaten the beef and cattle industry, the Trump administration is rolling out a familiar playbook: Blame former President Biden.

I’m getting way behind on cultivating, and the corn — and weeds — aren’t waiting.

June seems to go by so fast every year. I think I am going to slow summer down and accomplish so many things and then it is already July Fourth.

With a mandatory July 1 deadline for the trilateral joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement approaching, an economic study detailed the trade pact’s overall impact on U.S. agriculture.

For most of my life, I assumed everyone’s dad worked as hard as mine. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized what I witnessed growing up wasn’t something everyone experienced.

Agricultural conditions were unchanged or declined in most of the Federal Reserve Districts, while cost pressures intensified from fuel and fertilizer spikes.

A look at women whose contributions significantly shaped agriculture — trailblazers at the national, state or local level — is illuminating.

Bryer Nelson is excited for the opportunities he will be given and the opportunities he will be sharing with FFA members during the upcoming year as the president of the Illinois Association FFA.

From supporting rural communities to marketing products internationally, the Illinois Department of Agriculture provides a wide range of programs.

Pastures are looking pretty good so far, but rainfall will determine how successful the grazing season turns out.

Everything seems 10 days early. All the first-crop hay was harvested in late May as the weather turned favorable for drying.

The past two to three weeks have been a frenzy of synchronization and breeding protocols, enough to make your head spin and hard to keep up with.

Corn and soybean stands look good on Cliff Lane’s farm, and he has not found any issues with emergence.

A 3-week old calf in South Texas has been confirmed to be infected with New World screwworm.

The 2026 farm bill marks a new opportunity for Congress to take a bold step to upset the status quo by rebalancing the grazing livestock sector’s legal and regulatory framework.

Over the next several weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct the June agricultural survey by contacting over 90,000 producers across the nation to determine crop acreage and stock levels as of June 1.

Exceptional FFA members from across the state who have developed extensive Supervised Agricultural Experience projects will be highlighted during the 98th annual Illinois FFA State Convention, set for June 9-11.

These five students have been selected district winners for the Star in Agribusiness award after an extensive process of evaluating the students and their record books.

The winner of the Star in Agricultural Placement award will be announced during the Wednesday afternoon session of the Illinois FFA State Convention starting at 2 p.m.

While no one actually says an ag trade deal with China is in trouble, many find it troublesome that China is playing the cool customer.

Illinois FFA state proficiency winners are selected based on members’ outstanding skills in recordkeeping, leadership and scholastic achievement.

USDA is forecasting a rise in U.S. consumption of beef, pork and chicken in 2026 — all staples for summertime cookouts, says Jim Henry.

Some restaurant favorites are surprisingly easy to re-create at home. Beef doner is one of them.

It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle — and that’s not an easy ask.

The Mexican cattle industry has been hit hard by New World screwworm fly larvae infestations, and the United States has closed the border since July to imports of cattle, bison and horses.

Americans paid more for their groceries last month, but high gasoline prices resulting from the Iran war were only one of the reasons why.

Red meat consumption in Argentina — historically one of the world’s biggest consumers of beef — has fallen to its lowest level in two decades amid economic austerity measures imposed by libertarian President Javier Milei.

The 7th Federal Reserve District’s “good” farmland values increased 3% year over year, but dipped 1% over the last two quarters on average.

Now is the time to complete a farm succession plan because no one knows when the plan will be called into action.

We know that retail beef prices have been increasing for more than a decade, so let’s determine how much of that increased beef price is attributable to higher input costs versus the concentrated retail sector’s leverage over beef pricing.

Two weeks after the U.S. House passed its “skinny” farm bill — the law’s usual lard had been cut into last July’s reconciliation bill — applause is still yet to be heard in either Washington, D.C., or rural America.

China will purchase at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products such as beef and poultry per year through 2028, reports Jim Henry.

I expect next fall the replacement ewe lambs to be setting price records with the great demand we’ve encountered.

Farming is a gamble every year when challenged by the weather and the cost of crop inputs, so there is no thought of gambling the future of the farm away at the casino.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition and the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council will host the 2026 Heart of America Grazing Conference on July 15–16 in Effingham.

The Indiana State Fair and Corteva announced the 2026 Featured Farmers lineup, putting the spotlight on the faces behind Indiana agriculture.

Getting heifers developed, inseminated early and confirmed pregnant plays a significant role in the lifetime productivity of beef and dairy cows.

In his youth, Phil Borgic saw the dedication his parents had toward helping their community and the ag industry. He continues to carry on that tradition.