By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 1.3 days suitable for field work during the week ending April 17, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 49.1 degrees, 2.9 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.97 inches, 0.08 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 1 percent very short, 3 percent short, 40 percent adequate, and 56…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The trade associations for Illinois agriculture celebrate a $750,000 victory in the just-passed state budget. Illinois Corn Growers Association president Marty Marr, who farms at New Berlin, near Springfield, says the state has needed more veterinarians. “Discussion began about how important this area, of having field vets, is, in case…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 0.8 days suitable for field work during the week ending April 10, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 44.0 degrees, 3.4 degrees below normal. Precipitation averaged 0.87 inches, 0.16 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 4 percent short, 50 percent adequate, and 46 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture…… MORE
Amid an invasion of Ukraine, farmers across Illinois are feeling the pinch when it comes to fertilizer prices.… MORE
By Neil Doyle NORMAL – Heartland Community College has received a $2 million donation from the McLean County Farm Bureau to help construct a new agriculture facility in Normal. The donation will be used for the development of a flexible learning lab space for Heartland students as well as community groups and K-12 students, according…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Fair is announcing part of the grandstand concert lineup. Some of the acts scheduled for the State Fair in Springfield this summer include Sam Hunt, Brooks and Dunn, TLC and Shaggy, Jon Pardi, Disturbed and Sammy Hagar and The Circle. Fair manager Rebecca Clark says they are…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Last year was warmer and wetter than normal in Illinois. 2021 ended up as the 10th warmest year on record in the state, with an average temperature of 53.7 degrees. State Climatologist Trent Ford says that’s remarkable since last February was so cold. “So despite the fact that February average…… MORE
Illinois farmers finished 2021 with a record year for soybeans, and led the nation with that crop. The soybean total was 64 bushels per acre, totaling 673 million.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A self-described farm girl who used to be spokeswoman for the Illinois State Fair is making a return – as fair manager. Rebecca Clark, who has been spokeswoman for two state agencies after a career in television news, succeeds the twice-retired Kevin Gordon. In an interview Monday, Clark mentioned more…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – A look back at Illinois weather this year. February 2021 was brutally cold, with many records set all over the state. Spring and summer featured plenty of rainfall in central and southern Illinois, while the northern part of the state remained dry says State Climatologist Trent Ford. “The 2021 northern…… MORE
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…