I asked a friend that has a home weather station to go back 24 months and tell me do we have a plus or minus water balance. He came up with 18 inches short.

Cattle, sheep and goat prices are at record or near record levels and fundamentally should remain that way for some time to come.

If you store wool properly, it lasts a long time.

Thirteen Illinois Farm Bureau members and agricultural professionals graduated from the Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow program, an extensive leadership development program designed to help participants develop leadership and advocacy skills.

Charlie Meier is quick to point out that had it not been for his involvement with FFA and 4-H as a youngster, he would not be a state representative.

For sheep producers who have a shortage of hay stocks or are concerned about pasture conditions they should take action now to prepare for the year ahead.

Johnson County 4-H is recognizing service members this spring by featuring 4-H alumni on active duty in the U.S. military.

St. Joseph Ag Days will be held April 10-12 this spring as a free, interactive way for families to learn about agriculture.

The Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center has been a hub of activity for nearly two decades, hosting workshops, seminars, expos, livestock and horticulture judging, countless opportunities for students of all ages and other events.

Minerals are essential for normal function of sheep and deficiencies in any of them can negatively impact health and performance.

I took the Bud Williams “Hand ‘n Hand” Marketing School and Stockmanship School in-person classes in southwestern Missouri and learned you must include a profit in everything you do.

When we drone seeded clover on the wheat last February it had just a little green, but I was hoping it would soon look better and it does.

My next project in the mill is making a tweed-type yarn from a Shetland fleece. I found a nice cream-colored fleece and a light tan fleece. Both fleeces should spin to nice yarn.

A sheep shearing school hosted by the Indiana Sheep Association will take place March 14 at Purdue University’s Sheep Unit.

The wool sweaters, pants and jackets the USA Olympic team wore are stunning.

We’ve had several inquiries by folks wanting to get started since these sky-high prices, both beef and lamb, have shown the benefit of diversifying from the corn and bean doldrums.

While winter grazing can work, understanding the physiological stress it places on forage plants — and planning for recovery — is critical to long-term pasture health.

Western Illinois University’s Livestock Judging Team earned national recognition this season, placing in the top five at the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City and being named the 2026 National Western Stock Show Senior College Champion Team in Denver.

Heirloom and ancient grains are grown on Hazzard Free Farm without any chemical pesticides.

Regenerative agriculture is about mimicking nature’s principles, designs and patterns.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has opened applications for summer 2026 semester internships in the association’s headquarters in Colorado and office in Washington, D.C.

Wool is being featured again at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Enjoy your health and protect your body. You’re only going through this life one time.

Meat production was the most commonly reported primary production type across all flock sizes in the National Animal Health Monitoring System Sheep 2024 study.

Join University of Illinois Extension Livestock Specialist Teresa Steckler for a program on small ruminants.

Wool is always breathable. The air spaces in wool fabric insulate, but also allow moisture to easily pass through. This keeps your skin dry and enhances your body’s temperature control.

Take advantage of these long nights to get rested up for spring. That’s our God-given advantage at this latitude.

I like Thanksgiving because I like the USA. I like all the opportunities we have only in this great country and nowhere else in the world.

I still consider beef and lamb prices a bargain compared to most store items on most shoppers’ grocery list. And that good red meat is building health, not destroying it.

I am getting everything ready in the barn for winter. We do not have a lot to do since we do not lamb in the winter.

Outstanding projects developed by three Illinois FFA members earned them top honors in the nation.

Brad Dearing checks all the life-lesson boxes from his experiences in military service, decades as a teacher and owning a farm.

The U.S. sheep industry reveals what happens when our nation ignores market failure for too long, and it’s a case study applicable to every livestock sector in America.

I admire those older ranchers for their work ethic and their passion to care for their flock, but it is hard to duplicate that in the younger generation.

I’m one month earlier than normal to graze my last farmette, just to give you an idea of how dry it is and how sparse the grass is.

The ducks are pretty messy with their water, but their funny walks and greetings make them fun to have in the barn.

The Tanner family’s interest in raising apples goes back to Walde, Switzerland, where Rudolph Tanner ran his family orchard until 1906 when he immigrated to the United States.

Developing a livestock grazing plan during the initial design of solar projects helps to eliminate future problems.

Combining solar projects with grazing animals is a way for livestock producers to expand their operations without depending on land ownership.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has opened applications for spring 2026 semester internships in the association’s Colorado headquarters and D.C. office.

It takes a lot to shake a farmer or rancher. The definition of their worst day is oftentimes the type of day that would bring anyone to their knees and maybe even keep them down.

Cattle are now grazing on a field of cover crops at Riskedal Farms.

We went from moist to popcorn-fart dry. However, my warm-season annuals loved it. They just kept on growing.

This year I had the crazy idea that a duck would be a nice addition to the farm. Well, in the end I ended up with six ducks.

Many of us are still reeling from the recent tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. His legacy as a staunch defender of his Christian faith, as well as his defense of truth, has inspired thousands of people, young and old, around the world.

Illinois Farm Bureau recently selected three students for the Illinois Veterinary Student Loan Program, which aims to support the next generation of veterinarians focusing on caring for food animals.

Dan Sanderson is the recipient of the 2025 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award.

The Hoosier Sheep Symposium will be held Sept. 20 at Purdue University in the Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences, 720 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette.

Farmland owners looking for guidance on renewable energy projects can get assistance from the newly formed national association, Renewable Energy Farmers of America.

Nathaniel will be marketing his first-ever pastured organic broiler crop as his entrepreneurial debut.