Beijing and Washington released a tariff-reduction plan covering U.S. crops and dairy, but excluded top-export soybeans, reports Jim Henry.

Two Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate students received nearly $40,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support their research projects.

Hog supplies continue to tighten as farmers resist expansion, but lower futures prices are signaling concerns that pork demand may be weakening faster than supplies are shrinking, reports Jim Henry.

The future is bright for the U.S. dairy industry for several reasons, including the opportunity for dairy exports.

U.S. farmers in 2026 harvested the smallest all wheat crop since 1970, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s small grains summary.

While basis has broadly weakened since the start of September, the regional picture tells a more interesting story.

Higher fuel costs are compounding already tight farmer budgets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s quarterly stocks reports are known for their surprises — and the Sept. 30 estimates did not disappoint.

Old crop marketing year-end corn stocks are up 35% from a year ago, while soybeans and wheat stored in all positions are lower.

Six Illinois and two Indiana counties have been designated as natural disaster areas due to to tornadoes, hail and high winds.

Low-interest physical loss loans for producers are available for those impacted by any of the 12 natural disasters earlier this year in the Midwest.

Alveo Technologies and AgriNerds formed a strategic partnership to establish a first-of-its-kind dynamic highly pathogenic avian influenza surveillance system for U.S. poultry and livestock farmers.

Tight margins, rising input costs, shifts in global trading and changing biofuels are all impacting U.S. corn growers.

Market development and a new farm bill continue to be among the top priorities for the Illinois Soybean Association.

Years of declining numbers have created a supply challenge that short-term solutions cannot reverse.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance on Section 45Z of the Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit, clarifying the tool and how it supports biofuel production.

If you really want to rebuild America’s cow herd, go where the cows are and listen to the people who own them.

If rebuilding the U.S. cow herd is a national objective, sustaining the people and businesses that maintain it must be part of that objective.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released updated farm income numbers this week, and the outlook is still bleak, says Jim Henry.

Most of the U.S. crop balance sheet estimates were within the range of expectations, but questions remain on global side of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report.

With lower projected year-end stocks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture bumped up price expectations in its supply and demand estimates report.

Less corn and a few more soybeans were forecast in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report.

A farmer survey across 25 states projects slightly smaller U.S. corn and soybean crops than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s August estimates.

Hauling water across rugged landscapes has become a daily chore for many ranchers in the U.S. Rockies.

A rotational grazing system at Rincker Simmentals is designed to provide forage for the cowherd during the majority of the year.

The cost and commodity price squeeze continues as it nears time to plan for next year’s crop and correlating fertilizer strategy.

Higher values strengthen farm balance sheets and provide landowners with additional equity and collateral, but they also raise the cost of buying, renting and expanding an operation.

Total cattle inventory increased slightly for the first time since 2018, but the beef cow herd fell to 28.5 million head — a record low, indicating herd rebuilding remains limited, reports Jim Henry.

The yield average in the Prairie State’s top corn-producing county is estimated to be the lowest in five years.

Farmers and ranchers who own land will have a stronger balance sheet thanks to increased values, but there are still pros and cons to the cost of farmland going up, says Jim Henry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to purchase products, including pork, for distribution to various food nutrition assistance programs.

U.S. soybean exports — including whole soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil — are projected to grow by 5% in the 2026-2027 marketing year.

Colleen Callahan’s moxie started to develop long before she became the first woman agribusiness director at WMBD Radio and Television and later the first woman to lead the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The largest packers are reconfiguring their business models to emphasize a greater reliance on imports and deemphasize their historical reliance on domestic slaughter.

Farmland values in the Midwest were flat in the second quarter of 2026 compared to a year ago, according to a 7th Federal Reserve District report.

Fed cattle prices are near record highs. So, why aren’t cattle finishers necessarily making record profits?

Whether advocating on Capitol Hill, mentoring campers or preparing for the Illinois State Fair, the Illinois FFA state officer team is embracing every opportunity to serve.

Buying from your local farmers markets might be the best bet right now, until this cyclospora outbreak goes away.

The Great Protein Pivot isn’t about giving up food we enjoy. It’s about changing the proportions and making every delicious dollar pull its weight.

The United States has fully resumed Mexican avocado imports following a temporary suspension prompted by a security alert in the western state of Michoacán.

President Donald Trump announced on his social media account he is suspending import tariffs quotas on ground beef for three months.

Lower projected corn and wheat stocks bumped up anticipated season-average prices while soybeans were unchanged in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report.

The nation’s second-highest average soybean yield and the second-highest corn production for grain on record were projected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report.

The U.S. Soybean Export Council has increased its emphasis on global market diversification as the competitive focus for U.S. soy exports.

Farmers across the Midwest are dealing with a new problem — black vultures are attacking livestock. This scavenger species didn't live in the area previously; however, warming temperatures have expanded its range.

Farmers for Soil Health, the farmer-led initiative launched in 2022 to double cover crop acres on U.S. farmland by 2030, has reopened enrollment for 2026 with increased per-acre payments and a simplified one-year contract designed to remove barriers for growers.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Soybean Germplasm Collection at the University of Illinois.

Improving soil by increasing the biology results in more minerals in the feed grown on that land and fewer supplements necessary for the cattle that eat the feed.

Utilizing corn stalks for winter grazing is an option for cattlemen to impact their profitability.

More than 200 people attended the Ag Policy Summit, an annual policy-focused program presented by the Indiana Corn Growers Association and the Indiana Soybean Alliance Membership & Policy Committee.