When timing matters, Woodley Aerial Spray Inc. is ready to help you get across your acres quickly, efficiently and professionally.

The soil contains a complex community of interconnected microorganisms.

At Christmas, I told my wife we’d do one of her bucket-list items: go to Alaska for two weeks.

Chad Bell harvested his two fields of wheat and once the straw is baled he will be planting a cover crop on these acres.

Despite the fluctuation in available funding, farmers are still encouraged to utilize the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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

Hoosiers planted an estimated 1.58 million acres of cover crops, according to survey results from Indiana Conservation Partnership.

Local corn and soybean producers are invited to attend “Taking the Next Steps in Cover Crop Management,” an educational program focused on advancing cover crop management and decision making.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association and farmer leaders feel overwhelmingly positive after their review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regenerative Feedstock Rule.

We are hosting a cattle farm wagon tour here at River Oak — 15703 E. 1600th St., Macomb — on the morning of July 11, beginning at 8:30 a.m. You can register with University of Illinois Extension.

Farmers for Soil Health, the farmer-led initiative launched in 2022 to double cover crop acres on U.S. farmland by 2030, has reopened enrollment for 2026 with increased per-acre payments and a simplified one-year contract designed to remove barriers for growers.

Payment rates and the enrollment period for the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers program have been set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Rain showers over the past several weeks have resulted in challenges to spray for weeds and sidedress anhydrous on Wessels Family Farm.

Eleven years of on-farm data puts some proof in the pudding in terms of what conservation practices can do for a farming operation.

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

Pesticides are an important tool for farmers, protecting billions of dollars in damages each year from weeds, insects and other pests.

State lawmakers approved a $55.9 billion budget that included current-level funding for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Deidra Roell is a fifth-generation grain farmer in Washington County in southern Indiana.

Hosted by University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator Kathryn Seebruck, “Talking Crop” is a row crop production podcast, with episodes occurring every other week during the growing season between May and September.

A demonstration farm dedicated to farmer-focused research designed to answer real-world questions is into its sophomore year.

In response to recent dust storms in central Illinois and across the Midwest, in-field research is underway focusing on soil conservation and production.

Brad Zimmerman’s father, Phil, was an early adopter of no-till and always looking for ways to improve his farm. He is now carrying on the idea of looking outside the box with an even more holistic approach to crop production that focuses on plant and soil health.

Once we got going, spring went really quick. We had a window there from mid-April to the end of April where a lot of guys went and then the last 10 days has just been hammer down and get her done.

Corn and soybean planting is complete on Wessels’ Family Farm in DeKalb County in northern Illinois, even though planting started a little later than originally planned.

I planted cereal rye right into the bean stubble, after combining the beans off last fall. I never got enough rain to get enough growth to be able to graze it last fall.

I’m praying we have everything planted by the end of May, but it sure doesn’t look promising. The cover crops and wheat crop looks fantastic, despite the challenges of the daily freeze and frost watches.

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.

Illinois Farm Bureau will host 14 Nutrient Stewardship Field Days this summer for farmers and industry partners to collaborate and discuss ongoing research and innovative approaches to nutrient stewardship.

Mark Read has been involved in his community in a variety of roles over the years, and after retiring from farming, he was able to expand his volunteer work to well beyond north-central Illinois.

When Jay Whalen was hired as a seed specialist 17 years ago, he began using his farm for testing the company’s various products.

I planted soybeans for two days, we then switched to planting corn for two days and then quit knowing the rain was coming. We only ran two days each, but I got half the beans in and half the corn in.

Southern Illinois planters began rolling in the latter half of March after an extended stretch of warm, dry conditions.

For generations, farmers and ranchers have been the backbone of rural communities and a driving force in our nation’s economy.

I asked a friend that has a home weather station to go back 24 months and tell me do we have a plus or minus water balance. He came up with 18 inches short.

A “From Field Tile to Tap” tour demonstrated what farmers can do on their farms to protect drinking water sources downstream.

Precision Conservation Management has been selected as a recipient of funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Partners Program, part of $8.7 million awarded nationwide to support on-the-ground conservation efforts.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is relaunching the Infield Conservation for Operationalizing Vital Ecosystem Resilience, or I-COVER, Program to promote the early establishment of cover crops using new techniques or technology.

Weed resistance is a problem for many corn and soybean farmers that is likely to continue.

Greg and Janis Thoren are the recipients of the 2026 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award.

Chad Bell is working on a variety of projects during the transition time from winter and getting ready for the spring planting season.

After a wet start to March, Indiana fields are soaked.

Initial results of the Illinois Soybean Association On-Farm Trial Network’s first sulfur trials on 17 locations across the state were revealed at the recent Field Advisor Forum.

Raising livestock is an important way for Chad Bell to diversify his farming operation in western Illinois.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a two-season registration for over-the-top dicamba use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans.

Results of the third annual Illinois Ag Retail Survey found conservation practices are gradually increasing across the Prairie State.

The Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources program is designed to be free, straightforward, voluntary and locally relevant.

Growing winter forage can improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, add organic matter, break up compaction and provide livestock feed.

For over 20 years, Doug Winter has been dedicated to representing and advocating on behalf of soybean growers at the state, national and international levels.

This is the middle of February and it’s not supposed to be this dry.

The Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association’s interim president got his start with the organization as an intern collecting biomass samples in cover crop fields, as well as coordinating nitrogen rate trials and anhydrous safety training.