Planted area is estimated at 10.8 million acres, down 4 percent from last year. Harvested area, forecast at 10.65 million acres, is down 4 percent from 2023.… MORE
Category Archives: Ask The Expert: Agriculture
Harvest season underway across Central Illinois
There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork in the week ending September 8, 2024. … MORE
Harvest season is coming to a close, but headaches are continuing for farmers
Harvest season is wrapping up for many farmers in Central Illinois, but farming headaches continue.… MORE
Max Armstrong: Harvest season getting underway in Illinois
As fields begin to dry out, farmers across central Illinois are starting up their combines for the fall harvest season.… MORE
Farmers are asking the public to be mindful as planting season gets underway
More and more farmers are hitting the roadways as planting season is underway in central Illinois.… MORE
Fertilizer prices hit record levels amid the war in Ukraine
Amid an invasion of Ukraine, farmers across Illinois are feeling the pinch when it comes to fertilizer prices.… MORE
USDA: Illinois farmers finished 2021 with record year for soybeans
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
International soybean buyers visiting Illinois farmers
International soybean buyers will soon have a first-hand look at Illinois farms across the state when farmers meet for the Global Trade Exchange conference later this month.… MORE
Illinois Soybean Association introducing new practices to farmers through PCM program
The Illinois Soybean Association is introducing new farm practices to farmers all across the state.… MORE
Weekly crop report shows corn planting ahead of schedule
Rainy conditions hindered farmers’ ability to get into the fields this week as only 4.2 days were suitable for fieldwork.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
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.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
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…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
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…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
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…