Organics

Cattle and sheep graze on permanent pasture, cover crops and crop residue on Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm in northern Illinois.

An Illinois State University organics class toured a farm and milling facility to see up close the field-to-bag process.

Hans Bishop’s move into effective organic row crop production weed control begins with his experiences in growing vegetables on his family’s PrairiErth Farm near Atlanta in central Illinois.

I don’t know if we’ll have a record-breaker, but we should have phenomenal crops. But we need to dry out for a while because if it keeps raining, it’s going to hurt our soybeans, especially the later planted soybeans.

Organic farming can support soil microorganisms that promote plant defenses and reduce insect pests. But not all organic practices are equally beneficial.

Through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency will cover up to 75% of organic certification costs at a maximum of $750 per certification category.

Through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will cover up to 75% of organic certification costs at a maximum of $750 per certification category.

Champions of organic farming have long portrayed it as friendlier to humans and the earth. But a new study in a California county found a surprising effect as their acreage grew.

Fifteen Indiana farm families will share their stories at the Indiana State Fair this summer, showcasing the diversity of agriculture in Indiana.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture plans to distribute more than $545,000 over a three-year period thanks to funding allocated in the Specialty Crop Block Grant program in the federal farm bill.

Experience, attitude, communication and organizational skills can provide a foundation for farmland owners and farmers when making the move to organic crop production.

Joel Gruver, a professor of soil science and sustainable agriculture at Western Illinois University in Macomb, will receive the 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award from Practical Farmers of Iowa.

It’s been great so far this December to do chores without having to break the ice on the energy-free waterers we use here. Pretty much all fieldwork has been done by now around here.

A program aimed at plugging the information holes for farmers moving from conventional to organics production continues to grow.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program to Aug. 11.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will assist producers with a new organic management standard under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Transition Initiative.

Food choices can be confusing — from organic to local to GMOs, how do consumers decide what’s best for them and their families?

Illinois’ farmers and ranchers will soon be able to be represented in the nation’s only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county and territory.

State Conservationist Ivan Dozier announced that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will offer Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding for the Working Lands, Water and Wildlife Partnership throughout Illinois.

Lifelong Montgomery County farmer, Sugar Creek steward and conservation cropping innovator Kenny Cain received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hoosier Environmental Council at the 2022 Greening the Statehouse event in Westfield.

After hearing about some of the extreme rain events in Illinois and elsewhere the past few weeks, I am very grateful to have been spared those deluges. Here at home the pastures and row crops are faring well so far. And with the cooler temps the animals and I are thankful.

Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with those who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.

U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide pandemic assistance to cover certification and education expenses to agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic.

Iowa State University scientists are leading an effort to improve efficiency and genetics in organic corn production, a fast-growing sector of the agricultural world since the beginning of 2020.

Mercaris has updated its Acreage Analyzer for non-GMO and organic crops. The tool, which was released earlier this year, helps users track organic and non-GMO crops including corn and soybeans, as well as other organic crops such as wheat and oats.

If up is up and down is down, it makes sense then that organic food — especially food that carries the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s treasured “USDA Organic” label — is organic, right?

Nearly everything about Francis and Susan Thicke’s southeastern Iowa organic dairy farm whispers bucolic: a herd of Jersey cows and calves graze on rolling acres of green pastures amid fenced farm fields and acres and acres of tree-thick woods.

Nestled between shopping centers, row crops and car dealerships, an organic nonprofit farm is gearing up for its sixth growing season in an effort to combat hunger locally while teaching the community about food culture and sustainable farming practices.

Ten years of planning, 10 years of want ads and hope and worry ended one day in October when Don Kretschmann realized it wasn’t going to work. No one was going to step in. This was going to be the last harvest at Kretschmann Family Organic Farm.