More Agriculture Stories From Illinois Newsroom
The U.S. hopes to build more pipelines for carbon capture. Landowners don’t want them
Thousands of miles of oil and natural gas pipelines already crisscross the country. Now, many more are being proposed to carry things like hydrogen and
Capitol Briefs: State money to address food deserts; unemployment at 4.2%; tax season opens
Fresh food availability targeted in grant program; IDOR begins processing returns.
Accounting investigation under way at ADM and its top financial executive has been placed on leave
ADM said that an investigation was initiated in response to a voluntary document request by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said late Sunday that it’s cooperating with the SEC. ADM named Ismael Roig as interim CFO.
The farm bill stalled in Congress last year, leaving lawmakers to deal with it in an election year
Congress kicked the can down the road by failing to negotiate a new farm bill last year. The bill has been extended through the end
Socially disadvantaged producers operate at a higher risk, USDA study says
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report found “socially disadvantaged producers,” especially Black farmers, operate at a higher risk level compared to their white counterparts and
Christmas tree drama: Why many states want to get rid of the eastern redcedar
Back when Kelly Roberts was a kid during the 1970s, her family would scout their northeastern Oklahoma pasture every year, looking for the perfect eastern
USDA predicts lower 2024 crop prices, but that won’t immediately show up at the grocery store
The agriculture department’s annual projections show a slowing economy and lower crop prices for the upcoming year. The USDA also looks ahead to the next
Should the U.S. keep old trees around to store carbon or cut them down? It’s a heated debate
Deep in northern Michigan’s Huron-Manistee National Forest, the air reverberates with the sound of a tree harvester picking up fully grown jack-pines out of the
Are the Midwest’s rural areas finally seeing population growth after a decade of decline?
A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the population in rural areas is on the rise after a decade of decline.
Weather experts in Midwest say climate change reporting brings burnout and threats
Chris Gloninger was excited to start his new job as chief meteorologist at KCCI, a TV station in Des Moines, when he moved to Iowa
A USDA program gives a second chance to food that stores won’t sell — but is perfectly good to eat
Over 100 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Food Bank is trying to cut
Here’s how much money farmers make when you buy your Thanksgiving meal
Farmers got a slightly smaller percentage of what consumers spent on food last year than the year before, according to the most recent report from
A ‘magnificent harvest’ for the pumpkin crop in some areas — despite dry conditions
Drought has affected several pumpkin-producing states, including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. But rain arrived at the right time to produce a bumper crop in parts
Service techs will be trained for AGCO dealerships at new Parkland facility
A new facility at Parkland College in Champaign will train students to become service technicians for farm equipment made by AGCO. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for the AGCO Training Center.
The Piatt County Board, with reluctance, approves the county’s first wind farm
The Piatt County Board voted 4-2 on Friday to approve a special use permit for a wind farm in the county. But several members made it clear they were approving the Prosperity Wind project reluctantly, as a new Illinois law gave them no real choice in the matter.
Farm-based activities can support mental wellness. Why aren’t there more care farms in the U.S.?
Care farms are agricultural places for people with physical or mental health challenges to process their emotions, while performing farming tasks and working with animals.
U of I hopes a new greenhouse will be an incubator for bioenergy crops.
University of Illinois officials held ceremonial shovels Wednesday morning, for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction on a new greenhouse. It will open next summer in the Urbana-Champaign campus’ Research Park and be used for research into bioenergy crops.
Congress will miss the farm bill deadline in the midst of a likely government shutdown
The leaders of both Congressional agriculture committees say federal lawmakers will move back farm bill negotiations to December. The current law expires Sept. 30, but experts say there should be little peril despite the blown deadline.
Composting businesses are sprouting across the Midwest — but many cities are unprepared
Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Composting that waste can reduce climate
Fish in Illinois lakes & streams will no longer be tested for DDT
Illinois is joining a growing list of states that will no longer test fish in lakes and rivers for DDT and other related pesticides. Illinois
Supporting Illinois’ Family Farms: A Community Discussion
Illinois Public Media hosted an advance screening of the film, “Greener Pastures” on September 15, 2023 at The Virginia Theatre with collaborator, The Land Connection.
State Fair reports nine-year attendance high
Fair manager points to good weather, recent renovations.
Update: Archer Daniels Midland resumes corn processing at plant in Decatur after explosion injures 8 employees
An explosion and fire at an Archer Daniels Midland facility in Illinois has injured eight employees and sent a tower of smoke into the air.
Serving farm fresh food in schools is getting big federal support — but will ‘farm to school’ stick?
It’s a hot, buggy morning and Derrick Hoffman is poking around a densely packed row of bushy cherry tomato plants. Behind him, rows of peppers,
Once again, Piatt County considers an application for a wind farm
Zoning hearings are underway in Piatt County on a new wind farm proposal, six months after the Piatt County Board rejected a similar proposal from the same company.
Midwest farmworkers struggle with extreme heat — and almost no regulatory safeguards
Juan Peña, 28, has worked in the fields since childhood, often exposing his body to extreme heat like the wave that hit the Midwest last
A state program helps farmers donate the food they raise to food banks.
Now, farmers in Illinois can contribute some of the food they produce to food banks though a centralized donation program. This month, Governor J-B Pritzker signed HB2879, which turns a two-year, USDA-funded Farm to Food Bank pilot program into a permanent, state-funded operation.
Piatt County to start wind farm zoning hearings on August 28.
The Piatt County Zoning Board has scheduled its first hearing on a new wind farm proposal from Apex Clean Energy for Monday, August 28 at the Monticello Community Center.
Peaches are in short supply this year after weather pitfalls in the Midwest and South
Despite the chatter and hustle of a dozen or so workers, the production line at Flamm Orchards in deep southern Illinois sits mostly quiet this
Illinois Gov. Pritzker unveils butter cow and the state fair’s theme: ‘Harvest the Fun’
The 102nd edition of the Dairy Building’s crown jewel features a butter model of Schultz ready to milk one of her 60 head at Mil-R-Mor Farm.
Shrimp in Missouri? These farmers are raising fresh seafood far from the ocean
A group of Midwestern shrimp farmers are on a mission to provide Americans with better-tasting, sustainable shrimp. The industry struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but
A survey of farm households finds that the stress of farm life is felt by teens as well as adults.
When farm life causes stress, young people feel it along with the adults. That correlation was noted in a survey of farm families, conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois and the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin.
The EPA plans to retool its pesticide program in an effort to protect endangered animals
The EPA has completed less than 5% of its Endangered Species Act caseload in reviewing pesticides. Now the agency is proposing a new strategy for scrutinizing agricultural chemicals’ effects on listed species.
Ranchers got tired of Big Beef taking their profits. So they started their own processing plant
A crane looms above a dusty field just outside of North Platte, Nebraska, where trucks loaded with dirt criss-cross the busy site and workers
Most of the Midwest is in drought. And there’s no simple way to get out of it
This year’s particularly dry spring drove a large part of the Midwest, including Missouri and Illinois, into drought. The lack of moisture has far-reaching implications,
Young people and their horses opened the Champaign County Fair
URBANA – Cattle, sheep and swine are being shown off in agricultural competitions this week at the Champaign County Fair in Urbana. But this past
Drought, deluge and the climate curious farmers of central Illinois
The state’s largest industry can’t ignore global warming — but change can be slow and expensive. Here’s what farmers say is tipping the scales for them now.
Drought made Midwest and Great Plains crops look ‘like death.’ Recent rains bring some hope
Dryness in the Great Plains began spreading east this year, affecting much of the Midwest and endangering crops, livestock and river shipping. Recent rains have
Elderberries are a successful niche crop at a crossroads: go big or stay small
Elderberries are native to the Midwest, but the commercial cultivation of the crop is relatively recent, and saw a big increase during the coronavirus pandemic. That has the burgeoning industry wondering if its future is as a small, niche crop or something bigger.
U.S. approves ‘lab-grown meat’ for sale, but you probably won’t find it on shelves anytime soon
The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave two companies the green light last month to produce and sell their cultivated chicken meat across the country. But it could still take years before people can buy the new meat at grocery stores.
Tornado and drought damaged areas in Illinois will receive disaster funds
Farmers can apply for emergency loans after tornadoes and drought last spring.
Trees climb up cities’ priority lists after getting a $1.5 billion boost in federal climate funding
Driving along the Rock River, Mitch Leatherbie, a street superintendent for the city of Rockford, Illinois, spots a pair of trees he considers survivors. “There’s
The high plains drought is so bad that Kansas is importing wheat from Europe
Kansas wheat farmers will reap the smallest harvest in more than 60 years. Persistent drought withered much of the crop. SYLVAN GROVE, Kansas — Kansas
How do you find love on the farm? Dating apps, long-distance drives or maybe a reality TV show
Oklahoma rancher Landon Heaton lives alone on his 700-acre ranch near a small town called Coyle, about an hour outside of Oklahoma City. The 35-year-old
Raw milk sales will soon be legal in Iowa, joining most of Midwest. But health experts offer caution
Iowa is the latest state to legalize the sale of raw milk, which comes directly from cows without any pasteurization. While nearly every Midwestern state
Going once, going twice, gone! Auctions are moving online and changing a rural tradition
Auctions — a marketplace for knick knacks, farm land and everything in between — are often also gathering events for rural communities. That’s changing as
Rantoul village trustees will vote on cannabis craft grower proposal
The Rantoul Village Board has agreed to vote next week on whether to allow a cannabis growing operation to open in the village. Rantoul trustees agreed to take the vote after hearing a new presentation Tuesday night from Blake Schilb.
The farm bill is a big deal if you produce, or eat, food — but it may face a tough time in Congres
Every five years, Congress has to renew the farm bill — a gigantic piece of legislation that supports and protects food production, natural resources and
Piatt County wind farm opponents face off against a new state law encouraging their construction.
Voters in the central Illinois county of about 16,000 rejected wind farms in general, in an advisory referendum that the county board had placed on the April 4 ballot.
This spring brings worry rather than rain for some parts of the Great Plains and Midwest
Last winter’s precipitation relieved some areas of drought, yet in other places it’s deepened, making spring stressful for farmers and ranchers. Spring is the time
Milkweed — the plant that’s good for butterflies, yet still banned in many Midwestern cities
Across the Midwest, some city codes threaten people with fines for having milkweed on their property. But experts say many places have dropped those rules to support monarchs with urban and suburban butterfly gardens.
CO2 pipelines would be a boon for ethanol. But some question if they’re really a climate solution
Three companies want to capture carbon dioxide from Midwestern ethanol plants, transport it by pipeline and store it underground. Many in the ethanol industry claim
Farmer City hasn’t had a grocery store in seven years. Local citizens want that to change.
FARMER CITY – Laura Enger has lived in Farmer City for most of her life. When the only grocery store in town closed over seven
New Illinois law brings big changes for Cottage Food businesses
CHAMPAIGN – If you’ve ever bought a scone or a jar of strawberry jam at your local farmers market, you’ve likely supported someone in the
How small rural towns can access Inflation Reduction Act funding
Rural towns and utilities could get funding for all kinds of projects through the federal Inflation Reduction Act — but experts say it will take
Worried about spying and tensions with China, Midwest states want to limit who can buy farmland
Legislation is being proposed at the federal and state level to restrict foreign ownership of farmland, especially by China. The scrutiny comes after a Midwestern
The federal government isn’t actually measuring how inflation is hurting rural America
The consumer price index is widely used by Americans to determine inflation, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics only surveys American counties that include a
Budzinski tours ag research at U of I and visits with laid-off Akorn workers in Decatur
U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski visited the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign on Thursday. But first, the central Illinois Democrat stopped in Decatur, where more than 400 pharmaceutical plant workers had been abruptly laid off by Akorn Pharmaceutical.
Weather stations that provide critical climate data are threatened by unstable funding
Accurate weather information is important for farmers, emergency responders and researchers managing extreme conditions. But many monitoring networks are limited by unstable, patchwork funding. VALPARAISO,
Rep. Sorensen ‘optimistic’ Congress can beat farm bill deadline
MOLINE — Congress has a tight deadline to approve a new farm bill. Central Illinois congressman Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., is part of the U.S. House