The initial crop balance sheet forecasts for the 2026-2027 marketing year were unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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.

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

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.

A Livestock Summit will be held June 23 in Indianapolis in an effort to strengthen collaboration across the value chain and highlight innovations that support producers.

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.

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

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.

Fertilizer shipment disruptions in the Persian Gulf due to the Iran conflict pushed prices to levels not seen since another war began four years ago.

The U.S. House passed a new farm bill after the agriculture industry has operated for the past eight years under the previous legislation that included three extensions.

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

It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle — and that’s not an easy ask.

The Mexican cattle industry has been hit hard by New World screwworm fly larvae infestations, and the United States has closed the border since July to imports of cattle, bison and horses.

Farmland prices are expected to decrease from 1% to 5% this year, according to Illinois professional farm managers.

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

Farmers plan to plant less corn and more soybeans in 2026 than last year, reports Jim Henry, as the Iran war drives up fertilizer and fuel prices in the latest blow to the struggling agricultural sector.

Brazil’s massive dual-fuel fleet — consisting of vehicles capable of running on any combination of ethanol and gasoline — is unique in its scale.

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.

Wheat, corn and soybean season-average price projects were increased slightly in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s balance sheets.

Despite strong demand pace, an expected increase in corn exports wasn’t reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report.

Two years after peak highs, the average sales price of top Illinois farmland saw slight year-over-year declines.

According to the latest Feeding the Economy report, agriculture and food industries are a huge part of the U.S. economy.

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.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s prospective planting survey indicated farmers aren’t making as large of a shift toward more soybeans and less corn acres as expected — but with a caveat.

Installing a rotary parlor is a major investment for any dairy and the startup phase is pivotal for a smooth transition and long-term efficiency.

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

Agricultural economic conditions are mostly flat since mid-January across the Corn Belt’s Federal Reserve Districts, according to a survey.

The National Pork Producers Council announced the induction of Ken and Julie Maschhoff and Sam Carney into the NPPC Hall of Fame during the 2026 National Pork Industry Forum.

Consolidations from the farm gate through the entire supply chain, combined with inconsistent federal policies, have pushed agriculture toward a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.

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

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.

Other than a nickel increase in the projected average wheat price and tweaks in the global supplies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop balance sheets were mostly unchanged in the March estimates.

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

Markup of the new farm bill is underway and Illinois pork producers got a first-hand account of the legislation by the U.S. House Agriculture Committee chair.

The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose three points to 116 in February.

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.

The Fertilizer Institute is closely monitoring developments following the reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime shipping channel for global fertilizer and energy markets, amid the widening war in Iran.

Thirteen Illinois Farm Bureau members traveled to Mexico to strengthen agricultural ties and gather insight on trade ahead of the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

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.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is up for a joint review July 1 — a critical moment that will determine whether the free trade agreement continues or terminates.

An acreage swing toward more soybeans and less corn in the upcoming growing season is forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Illinois Soybean Association District 6 Director Rob Shaffer has been appointed by the U.S. secretary of agriculture to serve as a director on the United Soybean Board for a three-year term.

As president of Illinois Farm Bureau, Philip Nelson aims to provide impactful advocacy for farmers in the state.

When it comes to highly pathogenic avian influenza, biosecurity is the key to mitigating the risk of disease spread.

Honda reported a 42% drop in profit for the nine months through December, compared to a year earlier, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs hurt the Japanese automaker’s earnings.

House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson must not be a superstitious man. If he were, he would not have introduced the biggest bill of his congressional career, the “Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026,” on Friday the 13th.

In a key win for U.S. pork producers, President Donald Trump has finalized a beneficial trade agreement with Taiwan, a direct result of the National Pork Producers Council’s long-fought effort to secure greater market access in the Asian nation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed in its supply and demand estimates report that corn demand continues to improve, but supplies remain plentiful.