Midwest Dairy, in partnership with VentureFuel, announced the six companies selected for the second-annual Midwest Dairy Accelerator, an intensive 10-week virtual program designed to help emerging food and beverage brands scale innovative products that use Midwest dairy.

At a time when commodity prices remain under pressure and margins are already thin, higher operating expenses will place additional strain on farm viability, reports Jim Henry.

The farm economy is at a pivotal moment: If policymakers are not able to learn from the mistakes of the past, the past could repeat itself.

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.

An expected large shift away from corn acres didn’t happen, based on a planted acres survey of farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“I” state farmers shifted to more soybean acres and less corn and winter wheat acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s planted acres survey.

Grain stocks are higher than a year ago heading into the last quarter of the 2025-2026 marketing year.

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

The United States is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn. But that global market — and corn superpower status — is not guaranteed.

Understanding farmers' risk attitudes is critical to predicting their decisions about climate change adaptation.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center’s International Trade Center is exploring collaboration opportunities with the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

China’s passenger car exports jumped 73% year-on-year in May to around 809,000 vehicles, an industry group reported, as higher gasoline and diesel prices due to the war in Iran raised interest in electric vehicles.

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

As we gather this Fourth of July, it’s worth remembering and mentioning that the safest, most abundant and affordable food supply in the world happens because farmers and ranchers continue showing up every day despite the challenges.

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.

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.

U.S. gasoline prices decreased an average of 49 cents a gallon in the last month as expectations rose for an end to the war with Iran. But they’re not falling fast enough for President Donald Trump.

Corn and soybeans struggled for a week or two after planting during the flash drought, but a few passing showers have sent corn past "knee-high by Fourth of July" by leaps and bounds.

Why are today’s farm programs heavily skewered to support cotton, a crop we can’t give away, while wheat, a principle food grain and feed grain the world over, continues to lose planted acreage and production?

High-quality corn harvested last fall continued to maintain its high grades as it entered international export channels.

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

Matt Raben, a White county farmer and Illinois Corn Marketing Board director, was elected to serve on the executive committee of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council during the organization’s 37th annual meeting.

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

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin visited Incobrasa Industries to meet with representatives from the Illinois Soybean Association, the company’s leadership and Illinois soybean farmers to discuss the importance of biofuels and issues impacting the industry.

Four Indiana FFA members were named Stars over Indiana at the state convention, an honor for their had work in and outside of the classroom.

The new officers of Indiana FFA will travel the state in a car that runs on E85 fuel and has tires made with soybean oil in the tire tread compound.

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.

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.

Few special ag interests today slide on more lard than the nation’s highly integrated pork giants.

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

With consumers increasingly seeking protein-rich foods to support active lifestyles, the dairy checkoff leveraged National Cheese Day to position cheese as a convenient, high-quality protein option through its Dairy Does More platform.

As I walked through the exhibits and visited with producers, industry leaders and exhibitors at the 2026 World Pork Expo, I couldn’t help but reflect on how dramatically pork production has evolved over the years.

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

Total U.S. winter wheat production estimates were reduced to its lowest since 1965 as a severe drought continues in the Plains.

Wheat stocks fell on lower production estimates, and corn and soybeans supplies were steady in the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report.

As expected, for the second straight month only minimal changes were made in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand report.

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

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.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer declined from 121 in April to 119 in May, driven primarily by worsening views of current conditions on the farm.

There are many current issues important to Illinois cattlemen including the development of a new farm bill.

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

More than 25 speakers and panelists will provide strategies for creating and maintaining a successful forage and livestock operation during the Illinois Forage Institute on June 26 at Spoon River College in Canton.

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.

Continued low prices, government subsidy programs and high input costs will continue to weigh on farmer profitability and their ability to maintain current cash rents. These factors will all be important to consider when 2027 rents are negotiated in the fall of 2026.

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.