Clay Geyer celebrated the end of another successful year on his farm in northern Indiana.

Overall, I believe the corn and soybeans did much better this year than last, but we were done planting this year before May 1.

The past few years have tested even the most seasoned farmers. Facing rising input costs, unpredictable market access and many other challenges, farmers and ranchers are working harder while margins grow thinner.

Good corn yields overall and variable soybean yields with minimal insect and disease pressure were the general theme across the University of Illinois Variety Testing fields.

The 2025 corn and soybean growing season ended as it started — ideal conditions — along with the usual and unusual challenges sandwiched in between.

The work done at this breeding site in east-central Illinois tests and refines Xitavo® soybean seed-exclusive varieties under real growing conditions, not just lab settings.

A favorable fall weather pattern provided the Henert family the ability to complete harvest and fall fieldwork in a timely manner.

New hardware and software features have been added to GSI’s GrainVue grain management system.

Cox Farms enjoyed more grain storage and a more efficient harvest after expanding to a new 125,000-bushel storage bin this fall.

The Illinois Soybean Association has hired Kevin “KJ” Johnson as the new director of government relations and strategy.

Ropp Jersey Cheese has transitioned from using milk produced on-site to milk from another family farm for its cheese products.

Brian Rexing, an Indiana dairy farmer and a member of the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative, was chosen as the National Milk Producers Federation’s 15th chairman at the organization’s Joint Annual Meeting.

New data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture created serious doubts about whether China will really buy millions of bushels of American soybeans like the Trump administration touted last month after a high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Jim Henry points to biofuels — not export demand — as the key driver for corn and soybean markets in the future.

Syngenta announced Victrato seed treatment is now registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for soybeans and cotton.

Despite the latest — and delayed — crop balance sheets showing only slight changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reports painted the trade screens red.

With limited data, in some cases, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its first World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report since September.

Minimal changes were made in “I” state corn and soybean average yields in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report.

We figured we were probably 5% over our Actual Production History for the year in both corn and soybeans and actually our toughest ground did better than our better ground this year.

A new soybean seed treatment aimed at protecting the crop from its top nemeses waits registration.

As the fall harvest season comes to a close, farmers are carefully studying their balance sheets.

This year’s harvest is definitely not as good as last year, but better than I had feared.

Agricultural conditions across the Corn Belt are strained in part due to concerns about China’s elimination of soybean purchases and low crop prices, according to a Federal Reserve survey.

An Illinois grain farmer and popular host of podcasts, radio and television shows was the guest speaker at Eureka Savings Bank’s recent inaugural ag event.

Jim Henry shares some long-awaited positive trade news — a meaningful step to reestablishing a stable, long-term relationship with the world’s largest buyer of soybeans.

After college, Marcus Maier got a full-time job, but he still had the notion of joining the Army in the back of his mind.

Landowners and farmers should consider a flexible cash lease to accommodate changing prices and yields during the growing season, which allows farmers to minimize some risk and for landowners to capture higher profits.

A farmer and biodiesel facility quality control manager, both from Illinois, were among the newly appointed Sustainable Advanced Biofuel Refiners Coalition directors.

Two farms were honored with the inaugural Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing Stewardship Award, presented by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing.

American farmers welcomed China’s promise to buy some of their soybeans, but they cautioned this won’t solve all their problems as they continue to deal with soaring prices for fertilizer, tractors, repair parts and seeds.

Paradox seems to be the guiding principle of today’s food policies.

Indiana agriculture took center stage as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Everett Farms and Seed LLC in Lebanon ahead of her keynote address to the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.

Working with consumers who want to learn more about how their food is produced sparked Dan Sanderson to write a book about his regenerative farming practices.

With the warm, dry conditions, harvest is almost complete at Riskedal Farms, where some corn and sunflowers remain to be picked.

Two Hoosier chefs were honored with titles at the 2025 World Food Championships, held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center in Indianapolis.

An expanded soybean portfolio, new herbicide formulation and a new trait on the near horizon are flowing through the pipeline fueling the future of agriculture.

Registration is anticipated for a new cereal seed treatment package with two modes of action.

Soybean yields have been a record on almost every farm in our neck of the woods. Corn has been the same.

Draining excess water from farm fields in Illinois is vital to food and renewable fuel production. However, the lack of adequate farm drainage is a serious problem.

In 2018, Blake Twenhafel started BT Lawn Care with one customer, and during the next few years, he expanded his business to include over 50 commercial and residential properties.

American soybean farmers are fretting over not only this year’s crop, but the long-term viability of their businesses, built in part on China’s once-insatiable appetite for U.S. beans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs.

One of the oldest sayings in poker warns that if you’re in a game for 20 minutes and haven’t figured out who’s the patsy — the player most likely to be the game’s biggest loser — you’re the patsy.

Katie Nelsen has been named the new executive director of public policy at Indiana Farm Bureau.

Jim Henry warns that farmers across the Midwest face an urgent challenge this harvest season: limited grain storage capacity.

This is a good place to grow soybeans — because it is a good place to breed soybeans.

All was running smoothly, until it didn’t, for Ken Ropp while he was harvesting a corn field across from his dairy farm.

Yield/Profit Challenge has eight years of on-farm trial data in the books to document which systems provide the best return-on-investment for crop production.

A company that offers an ocean-sourced limestone replacement is expanding into the Midwest for farmers.

Farm income concerns along with state and federal issues continue to be a focus of Illinois Farm Bureau.