Tariffs impact what crops some U.S. farmers are choosing to plant this year
Farmers are planning on putting fewer acres of soybeans in the ground this spring amid retaliatory tariffs from China and higher production costs.
Tag: farmers
U.S. farmers were already struggling to turn a profit. Trump’s trade war will make that harder
Recently implemented tariffs are likely to push crop prices further down, while increasing the costs for fertilizer and farm equipment.
USDA ended its local food programs. A look at how farmers, schools and food banks are coping
Thousands of schools, farmers and food pantries in the Midwest and Great Plains planned on federal dollars over the next year to support local food purchases. And then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut the programs.
Tariffs threaten to upend markets American farmers depend on
U.S. row crop farmers produce enormous quantities of food, and they depend on selling lots of it overseas. They thrive under free trade policies.
Midwest farmers worry about the impacts of tariffs on exported crops and imported fertilizer
The Trump administration’s tariff announcements this week are bringing uncertainty to farmers going into planting season. Farm groups warn that retaliatory tariffs will add an additional “burden” to U.S. producers.
USAID funding freeze halts food security and ag research at Midwest university labs
The Soybean Innovation Lab based at the University of Illinois has laid off 30 employees and expects to shut down in the spring if funding isn’t restored.
Farm groups say producers need a new farm bill, but many expect another extension as time runs out
The clock is ticking for Congress to address the expired farm bill. Several groups are urging lawmakers to get an updated bill to the finish line before the end of the year.
Local food bank provides livestock feed to North Carolina farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene destroyed vast acres of crops in North Carolina, leaving local livestock farmers struggling to secure enough feed for their cattle to survive the winter.
Some farmers left in limbo after Missouri’s state budget limits funding for a USDA grant
Missouri’s 2025 state budget includes less than a third of the federal funding the state received for Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program grants. More than a dozen producers with selected projects are without funding for now. The day Emily Wright expected to hear whether her vegetable and flower farm in mid-Missouri would receive grant funding
Federal drought relief policies leave some farmers out to dry
Programs that provide drought relief to farmers use the U.S. Drought Monitor to determine eligibility, but some experts say it doesn’t always capture local conditions. On a recent fall day, as Wilburn Harris did the rounds on his cattle farm in the Missouri town of Drexel, he was met with brown grass, cracked
It’s warmer and drier than usual in the Midwest this fall. Here’s what that means for producers
Fall is typically a drier time of the year for the Great Plains and Midwest. But drought is once again rearing its head in much of the region, and experts are not seeing relief anytime soon. As Ralph Lents harvests corn and soybeans on his farm in southwest Iowa, he said some precipitation would be
Antique tractor sells for $1.47 million in Illinois, shattering the world record
The 1913 CASE 30-60 is one of just five that still exist, making the model highly sought after by antique tractor enthusiasts. A century-year-old tractor just became the most expensive tractor ever sold. The 1913 CASE 30-60 model tractor sold at an auction house in Illinois for a whopping $1.47 million. It’s one of only
Not a fan of daylight saving time? Don’t blame farmers
Every spring Americans grumble about losing an hour of sleep to daylight saving time. This year the debate over changing the clocks is lingering, after the U.S. Senate passed a bill to end the biannual time changes and make daylight saving time permanent. Similar measures have been proposed in 27 states, including Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois
A giant investment firm paid a university to study one of its biggest assets — farmland
TIAA-CREF invests heavily in farmland, so it paid a university to research it. Read Part I and Part III of this series. CHAMPAIGN — In 2013, mammoth U.S. investment company TIAA-CREF gave $5 million to the University of Illinois — to study an area of investment where the company has made a, sometimes controversial, name
As Trusted Voices, Farmers Could Be Key To Boosting Rural Vaccination Rates
When he first became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in Illinois, Tom Arnold, 68, says he didn’t need any convincing. He raises cattle, hogs and chickens in Elizabeth, a small rural town in the northwest corner of the state. After all, who better to understand why herd immunity matters than a herdsman? “Being a livestock