Another class of young people will soon head out to find their place in the world. No matter how far they roam, they will carry a piece of home with them. And home is always rooting for them.

Farming is more than a livelihood. It’s a way of life, and sometimes, it’s a heavy load to carry.

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

For my entire adult life, I’ve heard people talk about what’s closing, what’s changing and what’s next in their rural hometowns. Maybe those small towns aren’t dying, but instead adapting.

It was recently revealed that the White House reached way down into the routine, mundane approval process of five nominees to the soybean checkoff’s operating body to deny all five their well-earned seats.

Farm Bureau’s new Weathering the Storm checklist promotes six key practices: nourishment, movement, unplugging, pausing, connecting and sharing.

After years of economic pressure, farm families need the stability and certainty that comes with a new, modernized farm bill.

You’d think that the three extra years Congress has taken to update the 2018 farm bill might mean it stumbled upon solutions to today’s falling farm income, sagging ag exports, the need for more federal bailouts and the White House’s bubble-gum-and-baling-wire trade policy.

The younger professionals entering ag marketing today bring a different kind of energy.

As we see more solar fields dotting our rural landscape, it’s understandable to question if this is the best use of our productive Illinois land.

Now in its 13th year, the Ag Innovation Challenge gives entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their innovative businesses that address challenges facing America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

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.

Graduation season isn’t just about diplomas and tassels. It’s about what comes next and the people who help get you there.

Global disruptions have tightened fertilizer supplies and driven up costs. At the same time, fuel prices continue to rise, further tightening balance sheets.

For decades, farmers and ranchers have been begging antitrust officials for probes into concentrated industries like meatpacking, seed, fertilizer, machinery and grain merchandising.

Farmers and ranchers can capture more of the food dollar through value-added production, direct marketing and partnerships that move them deeper into supply chain activities.

Farm Bureau has long advocated for reforms to the H-2A guest worker program to ensure workers are treated fairly and that farmers can afford to fill their labor needs.

For our U.S. cattle and sheep industries, do you want free markets or competitive markets? That’s not a trick question as there’s presently significant political tension between these two goals.

Today’s higher fuel prices will be the norm regardless when, or even if, a U.S.-Iran ceasefire comes together, say market experts.

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

Land in the Midwest is not just dirt. It’s legacy, livelihood and, increasingly, a line in the sand.

With farmers capturing only a small share of the food dollar, even modest swings in commodity prices or increases in input costs can quickly strain farm finances.

In its program-slashing 2027 Department of Agriculture budget plan, the White House hoped to head off sure-to-come complaints by tying spending cuts to that handy whipping boy, big bad government.

Differences between pastures become more apparent each spring, largely based on how they were managed the previous year.

There has never been more information available to farmers than there is today — and yet, in many ways, it’s never been harder to know who or what to trust.

It may be a surprise that last year’s biggest ag story — tariffs — was swept off today’s front pages by even bigger news: a Middle East war, its sharply higher fuel and fertilizer prices, and the near certainty of another multi-billion dollar farm aid package.

Whether you farm five acres or 5,000, you’re part of something bigger than your own farm. You’re helping support jobs, strengthen communities and power an economy that reaches every corner of this country.

Installing the necessary drainage tile on your farm often requires a tile main to direct water through an underground drain tile system and then through a neighbor’s property to reach a drainage ditch.

Hiring an experienced, reputable farm tile installation contractor is essential to the longevity of the system.

Spring often just burst onto the southern Illinois farm of my youth. One morning you’d see a green blade of something peeking through the bare ground by the mailbox and by the time you got off the school bus a day later a brave daffodil waved, welcoming you home.

As April 1 rolls around each year, I’m mentally transported back to 1985, when I went from student teaching in a high school ag classroom to work at a local radio station.

Warm and dry this early is both a bad combination and a bad omen.

Orion Samuelson wasn’t my formal mentor, but he didn’t have to be. His work ethic spoke louder than any lesson plan ever could.

The latest federal farm income forecast reinforces the difficult reality for U.S. agriculture.

American agriculture depends on a stable and affordable supply of fertilizer to remain productive and competitive.

Farmers are watching disruptions to global shipping routes with growing concern about what it could mean for fertilizer supplies as we head into spring planting season.

We must ensure strong market opportunities here at home to keep family farms in business.

Crude oil prices, like it or not, often shape the world’s economies and geo-politics.

National Ag Day is March 24, with the theme, “Together We Grow.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has now sharply lowered its 2025 farm income outlook by $25 billion, reinforcing that this downturn is deeper and more persistent than many anticipated.

Farming and ranching are deeply rewarding, but come with physical demands and stress that can take a toll on long-term health.

There is no doubt artificial intelligence has the potential to help agriculture tackle some big challenges. But like any new technology it also comes with risks we shouldn’t ignore.

Ultimately, federal taxpayer-funded payments are not a match for the tough reality of lost demand or damaged markets.

Shamrocks, tied forever to St. Patrick, symbolize growth and renewal — things farmers understand better than anyone.

While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made an important investment in strengthening the farm safety net, it did not replace the need for a new, modernized farm bill.

From progress on the farm bill to new trade agreements and growing momentum for year-round E15, there’s been meaningful movement that shows agriculture’s priorities are being heard.

Improving farm drainage tiles in Illinois can be very challenging because most farmland is owned by absentee landowners rather than by the farmer.

One of the things I’m most proud of at Farm Bureau is that we don’t sit back and wait for leadership to happen — we invest in it.

March is when most people’s thoughts turn to spring and most farmers start looking forward to another productive year of growing food, feed and fiber.

One of the things I’ve learned over my years in Farm Bureau is that policy doesn’t move forward on its own. It moves because people show up, build relationships and take the time to share their stories.