USDA

Illinois soybean farmers will now have additional assistance with evaluating field data to better implement practices that benefit the environment.

A University of Illinois project evaluating liquid dairy waste in childcare centers was among 14 grant recipients through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

USDA announced that one Illinois county will be accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program and two Illinois counties are accepting applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.

Federal health officials called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick.

Even amidst the ever-present challenges that are part of farming, we have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

Hoosiers can expect to spend approximately 2% less at the grocery store compared to 2023, according to Indiana Farm Bureau’s annual Thanksgiving market basket survey.

The Illinois Soybean Association commissioned a study to evaluate the economic impact of maintaining reliable bridge infrastructure to efficiently transport farmers’ products to market.

Activist-driven ballot measures were shot down by voters in Colorado and California on Nov. 5.

Calls for $20 billion in “emergency” farm program payments won’t go away now that the proposal’s principal audience, voters, have done their duty.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture backed off on its corn and soybean average yield projections in the Nov. 8 crop production report, but still maintains record high projections in the “I” states.

Production cuts provided a slice of support for corn and soybean prices after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report was released Nov. 8.

Lower corn and soybean production estimates resulted in slightly tighter supplies in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report on Nov. 8.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.5 billion investment for 92 partner-driven conservation projects, including one in Illinois and Indiana, through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

Charley Jordan retired from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 2017, after more than 28 years of service.

Farmers for Soil Health empowers farmers to lead the charge in sustainability, putting real money directly into their hands to drive change where it matters most — at the farm level.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin issuing more than $2.14 billion in payments to eligible agricultural producers and landowners — providing much needed support through key conservation and safety net programs.

A group of agricultural diplomats from around the world visited Indiana, including touring a family farm.

A new study revealed a tariff-induced trade war would have a serious impact on corn and soybean farmers via lost global market share.

Schools across the country are celebrating National Farm to School Month this October.

Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. took top honors in the National Milk Producers Federation’s annual cooperative communications contest, winning five categories and the competition’s Best in Show: Writing award.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an additional $250 million in automatic payments for distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $58 million available for marketing assistance to eligible organic dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program.

The Beef Quality Assurance training and certification program will be offered at 11 sites in Indiana.

Indiana Farm Bureau will focus on issues like property taxes and water rights during the 2025 legislative session.

Between harvest and preparing for the state corn-husking competition, From the Fields contributor Clay Geyer has a busy October ahead of him.

4-H has a greater reach than any other youth development organization — and young people need it now as much as ever before.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands.

From this growing season’s first survey-based crop forecasts in August through now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to project record corn and soybean yield averages nationwide.

The updated marketing year-end grain stocks data provided a clearer picture of the beginning supplies for the new crop year in the agriculture supply and demand estimates report released Oct. 11.

There were no major discrepancies in the trade’s pre-report guesses and what the U.S. Department of Agriculture came out with in its Oct. 11 crop production and crop balance sheet report.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation.

The building gloom in today’s ag commodity markets — wheat, barley, oats and cotton farmers all face increased production and decreased prices — has caught the attention of a long-distracted Congress.

Now is the time for the administration and Congress to act on a U.S. trade policy that includes commercially meaningful negotiations on two-way trade with U.S. allies and partners.

The water level of the Mississippi River is unusually low for the third straight year, forcing barge companies to put limits on how much cargo they can carry and cutting into farm profits.

Nominations are now being accepted for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award.

Every day, rain or shine, farmers rise to do their jobs. Whether we’re tired or stressed, we press on. If we disagree with a family member, we find a way forward. We don’t stall on planting or harvesting or caring for our animals.

Allendale’s 35th annual nationwide producer yield survey was right in the ballpark with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimates.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects record corn and soybean yield averages in the “I” states and nationwide.

In the days leading up to the USDA’s crop production report, analysts expected corn yields to drop slightly due to dry conditions. However, USDA increased the U.S. corn yield average by one-half bushel.

New survey-based production estimates, slight downward tweaks in old crop ending stocks and no changes on the corn and soybean demand side were of note on the USDA’s supply and demand estimates report.

Disaster assistance for producers and training new staff has been among the many focuses of the Farm Service Agency’s Illinois offices over the last several months.

When you set a record ag trade deficit for the third consecutive year, the decline isn’t an aberration or a coincidence. It is growing proof that your national ag policy is headed in the wrong direction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting offers for more than 2.2 million acres through this year’s Grassland, General and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program sign-ups.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces changes to the Farm Service Agency’s Farm Loan Programs — changes that are intended to increase opportunities for farmers and ranchers to be financially viable.

An innovative online tool available through farmers.gov allows agricultural producers to enter their farm operating debt and evaluate potential savings that might be provided by obtaining a debt consolidation loan.

Few states put on a show like the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin, where 50,000 visitors from nearly 100 countries will see 1,800 owners exhibiting 2,500 or so of the best dairy cattle in the galaxy.

Whether they’re taken to heart to taken with a grain of salt, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly crop and livestock estimates are crucial for the entire farm supply chain.

Several tribal nations reported that a federal food distribution program they rely on has not fulfilled orders for months and in some cases has delivered expired food.

In our increasingly urgent quest to clean up our climate-altering, carbon-fueled culture, biodiesel and renewable diesel have become two new darlings of alternative fuel advocates.

Farmland values for the Seventh Federal Reserve District increased 2% in the second quarter of 2024 from a year earlier, marking the smallest year-over-year gain since the third quarter of 2020.