Conservation

The Conservation Stewardship Program is sometimes misunderstood. It is perceived by some as complicated or not for small operations — and neither of those perceptions is true.

Jason Baldes drove down a dusty, sagebrush highway, pulling 11 young buffalo in a trailer from Colorado to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced several Conservation Reserve Program enrollment opportunities for agricultural producers and landowners.

Hundreds of National Farmers Union members gathered in D.C. to ask Congress for the swift passage of a comprehensive farm bill that supports family farmers.

Planting season went smoothly for Craig Swartz and his father, Gary, and was wrapped up in record fashion.

President Donald Trump’s executive order to boost the U.S. commercial fishing industry drew praise from commercial fishing groups and condemnation from environmental organizations.

Somewhere along life’s highway most of us learned to balance a checkbook. This task usually involved a pencil, the back of a used envelope and some basic math.

An example of how nature and agriculture can coexist to benefit crop production, water quality and habitat preservation was among the stops during the recent From Farm to Filtration: A Tour of Conservation in Action.

Focusing on soil health is important for farmers since soil fertility is not inexhaustible.

The Illinois Soybean Association has named six agronomic professionals to its 2025 IL Soy Envoy class.

Agricultural operations in Illinois have been significantly impacted by recent severe weather, tornadoes and flooding.

The Trump administration may grant U.S. agriculture special exemptions from parts of its ever-changing tariff regime, but it can’t exempt it from everyday economic reality.

The Land Conservancy of McHenry County will host a seminar to explain how an agricultural conservation easement is the only way to ensure that your farm will never be developed.

Beyond a comprehensive look at farmland values, the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers’ annual report also features other tidbits of interest in each Prairie State region.

Twenty-five Illinois Farm Bureau members recently graduated from the Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow, an extensive leadership development program designed to help participants develop leadership and advocacy skills and to become a voice for Illinois agriculture.

American Farmland Trust focuses on protecting farmland, keeping farmers on the land and promoting sound farming practices.

The National Farmers Union held its 123rd annual convention in Oklahoma, where members finalized the organization’s upcoming policy priorities.

If it’s Tuesday, the White House’s long-promised tariffs against Canada and Mexico are on again, but if it’s Thursday, they — well, many that its Big Biz backers don’t want — are off again. No, wait.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program for the 2024 crop year.

Uncertainty in both commodity prices and input prices is making farmers’ already tough job even more difficult.

As the trade deficit and farm production costs continue to rise, the state of the agricultural economy is “dire,” lamented new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

It is a new day for agriculture, said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.

A collaborative effort between the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture and the Illinois Department of Agriculture will offer a unique educational opportunity for conservation planners.

Lawmakers and farmers mingled at the Indiana Statehouse to enjoy a bacon brunch and discuss farm policies.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Executive Committee approved the organization’s policy priorities at CattleCon 2025.

America’s farmers and ranchers are no strangers to uncertainty, but the challenges they face today call for immediate attention and decisive leadership.

Just weeks into the Republican takeover of Congress and the White House, Project 2025 is the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s governing plans.

Illinois agricultural and forestry producers who want to address or improve natural resources are encouraged to sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Sylvester and Sabrina Friend of Prairie Hills Farm in Selma were honored as a finalist of the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year Award.

Corn and soybean prices for this marketing year are projected below the 20-year average, but expenses aren’t following the trend.

Think water is not an issue in Indiana or the Midwest, like it is in Arizona or California? Think again, cautioned Brianna Schroeder, a partner at Janzen Schroeder Ag Law, during an educational seminar at the Fort Wayne Farm Show.

llinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a funding opportunity for Environmental Quality Incentives Program Landscape Conservation Initiatives and Urban Ag using Act Now authority.

Farmer participation in the Precision Conservation Management program continues to grow for 2025.

The Fort Wayne Farm Show is back in full force for its 36th year.

Family farms accounted for 96% of total U.S. farms and 83% of the total value of production, according to the Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

It Takes a Village is a nearly three-acre, urban nonprofit farm in Sauk Village, a suburb of Chicago, that opened in response to the last grocery store closing in the community in 2019.

Conservation practice adoption, pesticide regulations and biofuel tax credits are just a few of the issues for agriculture entering 2025.

The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts announced the selection of Eliot Clay as its new executive director.

The Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District will hold its 80th annual meeting Jan. 16 at the Pontiac Elks Club.

The 2024 Fall Meeting of the Dairy Sustainability Alliance emphasized the industry’s collective efforts to meet sustainability targets through the adoption of new technologies, best practices and measurement tools.

The legacy of Mike Plumer’s soil conservation work continues to live on through those he taught.

Cade Bushnell received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management program.

The dairy checkoff has launched the Dairy Conservation Navigator, an online resource hub designed to provide farm advisers, stakeholders and conservation professionals with science-based information on sustainable farming practices and technologies.

Pheasants Forever provides a program that works hand-in-hand with farmers to combine wildlife habitat with farming profitability.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service unveiled a new easement option that offers long-term protection of the land and ensures timely transfer of ownership to qualified producers.

Illinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a statewide funding opportunity for the Conservation Stewardship Program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties in Illinois have been approved for funding to address damages from tornados and severe storms.

Illinois soybean farmers will now have additional assistance with evaluating field data to better implement practices that benefit the environment.

USDA announced that one Illinois county will be accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program and two Illinois counties are accepting applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.

It’s a new day. No more campaign text messages. No more political ads. We open a new chapter and prepare for a new dialogue with a new Congress and new president come January.