Even with Unprecedented Events in Washington, Good News Abounds for Farmers, Though Challenges Also Lay Ahead
I have spent close to 20 years living and working in our nation’s Capital, and I have never seen the number of unprecedented events here that we’ve seen over the last year. From the war in...
MoreIllinois Farm Families® farmer trust-building program wins national award
The Illinois Farm Families (IFF) Coalition’s consumer engagement campaign to build trust in Illinois farmers and their farming practices was the recipient of the Public Relations Society of...
MoreCorn Growers Weigh-In on Redefining WOTUS
EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are holding ten regional roundtables to gauge the implications of recently proposed changes to the definition of Waters of the U.S. Megan Dwyer, Director of...
MoreFarmers Help Lower Gas Prices
As Illinoisans begin their summer vacation travel, one thing is on everyone’s mind: gas prices. A recent decision by the Biden administration allowing for the continued use of higher blends of...
MoreBiden Visits Illinois Farm
Today, President Biden visited Kankakee, IL to address Russia’s war on Ukraine and the resulting price hike on food and the administration’s actions for additional tools and resources to support...
MoreFarmers are the Foot Soldiers in the War Against Hunger
Farmers are the foot soldiers in the war on hunger, and that never has been more apparent than it is in today in Ukraine. As fighter jets soar overhead, bombs drop on cities, and tanks battle...
MoreIllinois Senators Champion Cost-Share Change Enabling Lock Modernization
Yesterday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously passed its Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022. The bill includes a cost-share shift offered by Senators Tammy...
MoreInland Waterways, Critical to Illinois and the Nation, Get Their Due
If you drive over LaSalle’s Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge that spans the Illinois Waterway, you may look down to see barges being pushed by towboats, but probably don’t know exactly what is...
MoreConservation Corner - Myth Busters
Myth: “Planting into cover crops just doesn’t work; it’s too cold for my herbicides to work so I can’t manage cover crops in the spring; if you don’t kill them early, they get out of control; all...
MoreAs Biden Steps Up for Farmers, Corn Growers Work to Advance Legislation on Ethanol
It was like a scene out of a Hollywood movie. Just as it looked as though the oil industry had succeeded in ending consumer access to higher levels of ethanol – a biofuel that is environmentally...
MoreIllinois Corn Farmers Approve Increased Checkoff Investment
Illinois corn farmers voted in favor of increasing the corn checkoff rate established in the Illinois Corn Marketing Act in a vote held March 29, 2022, according to Illinois Department of...
MoreIllinois Legislation Allows More Aggressive Development of IL Industrial Biotech Industry
Last week, the Illinois General Assembly sent a signal that Illinois is ready to designate itself as the premiere location for industrial biotechnology companies and innovation. SB 1693, the...
MoreBiden Administration Lifts Restrictions on E15 For Year-Round Sales
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – After considering the burden of high gas prices on every American, President Biden announced today in Iowa that he will approve an emergency E15 waiver effective June 1....
MoreIllinois Farm Groups Request Funding to Safeguard Illinois’ Livestock
Last week, leadership from four Illinois commodity groups and Illinois Farm Bureau worked to increase the Illinois State budget request by $750,000 from the General Assembly’s FY23 budget toward...
MoreRecognizing Ag
For most in the agriculture industry, you know that what you’re doing is providing food and items that consumers use daily and could not live without. For the average non-farmer who is...
MoreSmacking Down Gas Prices
We aren’t trying to pull a Will Smith on you. Farmers have a solution to high gas prices that’s here and no laughing matter, ethanol. The fact is that the use of higher ethanol blends will cut...
MoreIL CORN AND IL SOYBEAN CHECKOFFS PARTNER ON WATER TESTING INITIATIVE
The IL Corn Growers Association and Illinois Soybean Association are teaming up to offer a new water testing initiative challenge for Illinois FFA chapters to learn about nutrient loss and water...
MorePCM Welcomes New Employee to Team
Darren Cudaback joins the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) team as a specialist in Nebraska. Darren has spent the last 24 years in the ag industry helping producers with marketing programs...
MoreA European War Grips Washington and Places a Further Strain on U.S. Farmers
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has gripped Washington for weeks, easily becoming the city’s marquee issue as we head into spring. Typically, this level of attention is reserved for domestic...
MoreCelebrating Women’s History Month: Getting to know Donna Jeschke
Although we celebrate women in ag throughout the year, March is nationally recognized to dedicate to women’s contributions through history and society. According to stats from 2017 around 30,000...
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