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.

State lawmakers approved a $55.9 billion budget that included current-level funding for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

State funding appropriations for Soil and Water Conservation Districts were kept at current levels for the third consecutive year, while legislation to create a sustainable funding source for the agency stalled.

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.

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.

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

The economic value of food and agriculture — and the fact that so much of it remains within the United States — is essential not just for food security, but for long‑term economic stability.

Deidra Roell is a fifth-generation grain farmer in Washington County in southern Indiana.

Despite the fluctuation in available funding, farmers are still encouraged to utilize the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood visited the Illinois Soybean Association’s headquarters to meet with ISA leaders, staff and soybean producers to discuss biofuels and other key issues impacting farmers across the state.

USDA and software company Palantir Technologies announced the signing ‌of a $300 million blanket purchase agreement.

Expanding access to American-grown fuels is one more way agriculture can help keep our country moving.

If we want this way of life to be here for the next generation, we must be willing to speak up for it by showing up in conversations where decisions are made and making sure rural voices are heard.

Honda racked up a $2.7 billion loss, the first-ever full year loss for the Japanese automaker, acknowledging heavy costs for its electric-vehicle plans, stemming from President Donald Trump’s pro-U.S. policies.

Toyota’s profit fell 19% in the last fiscal year from a year earlier, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bit into earnings at Japan’s top automaker.

The U.S. Forest Service will abandon its nine regional offices as its parent U.S. Department of Agriculture consolidates out of Washington, D.C.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden visited Indianapolis to meet with leaders across Indiana’s ag and bioscience community.

Americans paid more for their groceries last month, but high gasoline prices resulting from the Iran war were only one of the reasons why.

Red meat consumption in Argentina — historically one of the world’s biggest consumers of beef — has fallen to its lowest level in two decades amid economic austerity measures imposed by libertarian President Javier Milei.

Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.

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.

The Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers’ comprehensive annual farmland values report also includes various tidbits of interest.

We know that retail beef prices have been increasing for more than a decade, so let’s determine how much of that increased beef price is attributable to higher input costs versus the concentrated retail sector’s leverage over beef pricing.

Two weeks after the U.S. House passed its “skinny” farm bill — the law’s usual lard had been cut into last July’s reconciliation bill — applause is still yet to be heard in either Washington, D.C., or rural America.

In response to The Mosaic Company’s plans to scale back domestic production, state and national soybean leaders called on the Trump administration to take action.

An overwhelming majority of America’s farmers who responded to a nationwide survey say they cannot afford to purchase enough fertilizer to get them through the year.

Corteva Inc. selected Indianapolis as the global headquarters for its new crop protection company, choosing Indiana over multiple competing states.

The U.S. House passed legislation allowing for year-round, nationwide sale of E15 fuel May 13 and the bill advances to the Senate.

The U.S. House’s passage of legislation allowing nationwide, year-round use of E15 drew mixed reactions from farm and biofuel groups.

China will purchase at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products such as beef and poultry per year through 2028, reports Jim Henry.

The second annual Farm to Capitol event was held in downtown Indianapolis, celebrating the state’s rich agricultural heritage.

Rural Investment to Protect our Environment welcomed the Illinois Soybean Association to its Steering Committee.

Smart site selection, local engagement and long-term planning can ensure rural America remains both a hub for agricultural production and a partner in responsible technological growth, reports Jim Henry.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture will distribute more than $796,000 over the next three years to expand access to fresh, locally grown produce and boost the competitiveness of the state’s specialty crop industry.

Farming is a gamble every year when challenged by the weather and the cost of crop inputs, so there is no thought of gambling the future of the farm away at the casino.

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.

From conferences to convention to contests, this month the Illinois FFA major state officers have been busy traveling all across the state and even into Iowa.

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

Illinois Farm Bureau will host 14 Nutrient Stewardship Field Days this summer for farmers and industry partners to collaborate and discuss ongoing research and innovative approaches to nutrient stewardship.

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.

Mark Read has been involved in his community in a variety of roles over the years, and after retiring from farming, he was able to expand his volunteer work to well beyond north-central Illinois.

Heroes don’t wear capes. They’re paged at 3 a.m. to fight a fire, the next day they’re advocating for ag on Capitol Hill and the following day pitching in for the local FFA.

Farmland sales in Illinois are continuing their recent pattern of being unpredictable. Low farmer profits are the main driver of this volatility, but other factors also weigh on the marketplace.

Preparing for taxes and the transition of farming operations from one generation to the next is important for farm families.

Poverty is deepening and hunger is increasing across Cuba, a country of nearly 10 million people.

Union Pacific delivered 5% higher earnings in the first quarter as the railroad worked to prepare its case to convince regulators that its $85 billion acquisition of eastern rival Norfolk Southern is a good idea.

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.