Markets

I cannot emphasize enough how wet it is in southern Illinois. The row crop guys were able to jump in and get some planting done, but may be wishing they hadn’t.

This cattle market is crazy good and has me wondering how long it can last.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition has worked successfully through the tension of whether it would still have grant funds for events after the days of DOGE.

The recently released MAHA report was the work product of the commission established by President Donald Trump’s executive order to “Make America Healthy Again.”

President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum could hit Americans in an unexpected place: grocery aisles.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Rome during a recent trade delegation to advocate for American market access.

Our independent cattle and sheep industries have been steaming along through history as if they were without a strategic vision — rudderless and directionless.

In an effort to expand the availability of fresh, locally-grown produce and strengthen the competitiveness of the state’s specialty crop industry, the Illinois Department of Agriculture plans to distribute more than $679,000 over a three-year period.

It was a mixed bag of victories and losses for locally produced food and conservationist efforts when the Illinois General Assembly passed its $55.2 billion fiscal year 2026 budget.

Ninety-nine people from 19 countries graduated from the Soybean Oil Masters program this year, an event designed by the U.S. Soybean Export Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

For U.S. farmers and ranchers, May 22 was right out of a Dickens novel: It was the best of days and the worst of days.

Clean Fuels Alliance America hosted biodiesel farm-to-tank media events.

Opportunities and market diversity for soybean farmers were on full display during a recent tour of the Incobrasa Industries.

Incobrasa processes an average of 120,000 bushels of soybeans per day, utilizing soybeans from within about a 50-mile radius of the plant.

June agricultural supply and demand reports are typically focused more on old crop demand adjustments and that was the case in the June 12 estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Increases in corn and wheat exports lowered ending stocks, while the soybean domestic balance sheet was unchanged in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report.

U.S. winter wheat production is forecast to be 2% above 2024 and slightly higher than last month’s estimate.

Clay Geyer is balancing working on the farm, promoting corn-husking competitions and much more this summer.

Although Illinois Farm Bureau has worked to provide mental health and awareness resources to its members for several years, the statewide group is focused on expanding that commitment.

Women involved in the agricultural industry are generally expected to live a triple-duty lifestyle that can lead to depression and anxiety.

America’s certified organic acreage fell almost 11% between 2019 and 2021. Many farmers have been asking: Is organic farming just a word?

Ford Motor Co.’s top executive welcomed revisions to auto import rules, but said more work is needed to craft trade policies that spur growth in the U.S. auto industry.

In February 2018, this space outlined my assessment of Congress’s meandering approach to the overdue farm bill. It was a waste of ink.

These days, it seems we’re hearing more and more talk about “big ag.”

As planting season rolls on, southern Indiana From the Fields contributor Mindy Orschell shared an update on farm life with AgriNews.

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 2025 High Performance Low Carbon Liquid Fuels Summit was held in Indianapolis, where attendees learned about the potential of corn-based ethanol and soybean-based biodiesel.

A 2% year-over-year increase in winter wheat production is projected for 2025, according to the first farm operator survey of the growing season.

A first-look at the 2025-2026 crop balance sheet was rolled out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sangamon and Macon counties had the top average corn and soybean yields, respectively, in 2024.

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.

Understanding Illinois property tax calculations is complex and confusing. Properties such as personal residences are taxed based on fair market value.

The Riskedal family uses regenerative agricultural practices on their farm where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat along with feeding cattle for a freezer beef enterprise.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is the independent voice for businesses across the state.

Farmer Dan Glessing isn’t ready to get too upset over President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

The opening lines in a recent farmdocDAILY post should have raised an eyebrow or two among farm bill geeks both in and out of Congress.

More than 75 local vendors participated in the second annual Indiana Grown Showcase, encouraging people to buy local.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts soybean ending stocks will decrease 16%, or 55 million bushels less than 2024, and corn ending stocks will increase 27%, or 385 million bushels from 2024.

New crop corn and soybean ending stock estimates were lower than pre-report trade expectations in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand report.

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.

After two bitter tariff wars in less than a decade, China now sees Brazil as a better long-term bet for groceries than the United States.

Farmer optimism about the ag economy improved in April, according to the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer.

The mill has been busy. We have received a lot of new fiber orders and working through the ones already had.

Saying we’re facing uncertainty in rural America is an understatement. We’re in the midst of a seismic shift — a true paradigm shift.

Mental fitness is a personal understanding that individuals have the ability to build a happier and more productive life.

Let’s say you could have President Donald Trump’s attention for 20 minutes. What would you ask him to do for our domestic cattle and sheep industries?

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.

Down in southern Illinois we could almost make the claim that it hasn’t stopped raining since December.

Last month I alluded to an announcement concerning our grazing operation here at River Oak for 2025. So, here it is.

Rancher Brett Kenzy hopes President Donald Trump’s tariffs will make imported beef expensive enough that Americans will turn to cattle raised at home for all their hamburgers and steaks.