Latest Agriculture News From The Illinois Newsroom Team
WILL at 100: A century of programming for the farming world
From its first sign-on in 1922 to the present day, agricultural programming for rural audiences has been an important part of programming on WILL-AM.

The war in Ukraine could cause a global food crisis, U of I professor warns
URBANA – Ripple effects from the war in Ukraine will likely be felt in all corners of the globe — especially when it comes to

Shuttered offices, potentially high fertilizer costs: Here’s what the situation in Ukraine means for U.S. agriculture
As Ukraine continues to fight against Russian forces, experts warned of potential fallout for the U.S. agriculture industry. On Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin

It takes tons of water to put meat on Americans’ plates. But most meat companies don’t ensure conservation in their supply chains.
Water is critical to America’s meat habit. Cows, pigs and chickens drink it. Farmers clean barns and cool animals with it. Meatpackers sanitize plants and

‘A pretty big sea change’: EPA says it will consider endangered species when approving new pesticides — without the threat of lawsuits
Before approving new pesticides for use on crops or around homes, the Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to determine what impact they’ll have on endangered

Corn ethanol is fueling our cars and climate change, study says
Congress passed the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005, mandating a certain amount of renewable fuel – namely corn ethanol – be mixed in with traditional

As African Swine Fever plagues other countries, the U.S. works to keep it out
Al Wulfekuhle doesn’t take biosecurity lightly. The pork producer showers before he goes into a barn and again as he leaves and asks the same

U of I Chancellor Robert Jones reflects on COVID, higher tuition, agriculture and race
URBANA — For more than 5-years, Dr. Robert Jones has served as Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is a native of Georgia,

The American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘Voice of Agriculture.’ These groups beg to differ.
This story is a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The newsrooms are continuing to cover Farm Bureaus and their influence. Is there an

Indoor farming delivers super-fresh produce to cities, but its energy use creates a ‘conundrum’
Vertical farms stack rows of plants on top of each other. Those indoor farms control the lighting, water and temperature to create ideal conditions to

The air in rural areas may be just as toxic as the pollution in cities
URBANA — A new study suggests the notion of clean, country air might be misleading. Traditionally, air quality has been measured by the size of

Billions are at stake in how the government defines a place as rural
HOUSTON, Mo. — A town of 1,000 people feels like a rural place to someone from Chicago. To a person living in a town of

Small farms are producing less and facing money problems
A new U.S. Department of Agriculture report found the percentage of farms that are small and family owned remained unchanged from 2011 to 2020, holding