American Star Farmer finalist Justin Myers purchased his first farm several years before he became an FFA member.

The Farm Service Agency’s Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage will generate approximately $13.8 billion in gross payments to eligible agricultural producers for the 2025 crop year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report included increases in its corn and soybean production forecasts.

Six Illinois and two Indiana counties have been designated as natural disaster areas due to to tornadoes, hail and high winds.

Low-interest physical loss loans for producers are available for those impacted by any of the 12 natural disasters earlier this year in the Midwest.

Farmland values in the Midwest were flat in the second quarter of 2026 compared to a year ago, according to a 7th Federal Reserve District report.

The nation’s second-highest average soybean yield and the second-highest corn production for grain on record were projected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers Program that will provide temporary support for eligible beef processing establishments.

After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers in Illinois should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency county office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline of July 15.

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

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

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

Illinois agricultural producers impacted by recent severe weather — including tornadoes, straight-line winds and hail — can access technical and financial assistance from the USDA.

Farmers are entering the critical spring planting season under a cloud of uncertainty as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupts global trade, causing fertilizer and diesel costs to spike.

Farmland values increased 2% in the last quarter of 2025 and were up 6% year-over-year in the 7th Federal Reserve District.

Illinois Soybean Association District 6 Director Rob Shaffer met with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at the Commodity Classic.

The deadline for producers to sign up for the Dairy Margin Coverage program is Feb. 26.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program support.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency announced the appointment of five leaders in agriculture to serve on the Illinois FSA state committee.

A veteran commodities economist called the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production annual summary one of the most unusual January reports that he’s seen in the decades.

Per-acre payment specifics for the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program were released on New Year’s Eve.

One of the most under-reported stories of 2025 — the departure of more than 20,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture employees — finally surfaced just before the quietest, most unwatched news periods of any year, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

As the Midwest agriculture sector faces another year of low profits, farmers need to take a closer look at their farm balance sheet, which is a snapshot of their financial condition on a specific day.

A $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program to help farmers offset trade disruptions and increased production costs was announced by the Trump administration.

Emergency loans are available to counties impacted by excessive rain and flooding last spring in southern Illinois.

Did farm and ranch leaders forget the enormous impact SNAP spending has on rural America’s bottom line?

Having a well-written farm lease is vital in today’s farm rental marketplace.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs.

One of the oldest sayings in poker warns that if you’re in a game for 20 minutes and haven’t figured out who’s the patsy — the player most likely to be the game’s biggest loser — you’re the patsy.

Clay Geyer is preparing for the next chapter on the farm — harvest and the Indiana State Corn Husking Contest.

The nation’s corn growers are projected to produce record highs in average yield and total production, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first survey-based forecasts this growing season.

Incorporating cover crops into their regenerative farming system has been a learning process for the Riskedal family this spring.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency extended the prevented planting crop reporting deadline for producers affected by spring flooding, excessive moisture, or qualifying drought.

After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers in Illinois should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency county office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline.

In the first quarter of 2025, the 7th Federal Reserve District’s agricultural land values saw a 1% increase from a year ago, and “good” farmland values rose 4% from the fourth quarter of 2024 on average across five states.

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.

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

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a second round of payments for specialty crop producers through the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program.

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

Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2025 crop year have until April 15 to revise elections and sign contracts.

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.

Indiana and Iowa saw year-over-year decreases in foreign ownership of agricultural acres while Illinois increased, according a new report.

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

The Farm Service Agency reminds producers, including dairy producers impacted by H5N1, the deadline to apply for financial assistance is Jan. 30 for losses due to specific adverse conditions that occurred in 2024.

Scott Halpin’s term as Illinois Farm Service Agency executive director concluded with the change of federal administrations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 enrollment periods for key safety-net programs — Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage, as well as Dairy Margin Coverage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds specialty crop producers to apply for assistance for food safety certification expenses.

The Fort Wayne Farm Show, to be presented Jan. 14-16 by Tradexpos at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, will feature daily educational seminars provided by Northeastern Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Purdue Extension.

For the first time since the end of 2019, farmland values in the 7th Federal Reserve District did not see a year-over-year increase.