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Beautiful native wildflowers bloom in the foreground, and a family farm with mature trees are visible in the background.

Understanding Illinois Farmland Property Taxes

Understanding Illinois property tax calculations is complex and confusing. Properties such as personal residences are taxed based on fair market valueThe State of Illinois assesses farmland based on the agricultural use value rather than the farm market value. Based on farm income...
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Aerial view of various farm fields with road running diagonally inbetween.

Farmland Values Showing Mixed Signals

Farmland values began to soften in late 2024. With decreasing farm profits in 2023 and 2024, farmland values held firm until the last quarter of 2024. This was the consensus of professional farm managers at the 2025 Illinois Farmland Values and Lease Trends Conference held in March, which The...
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Cumulus clouds loom over rows of harvested corn with trees in the background.

Illinois farm cash rents in 2025

Cash Farm Rents in Illinois held steady to slightly downward in 2025 compared to 2024. At the recent Illinois Land Values Conference, farm managers from across the state released the statistics analyzed by the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (...
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Photo of financial forms with calculator on top.

Tips for Farm Financial Record Keeping

Keeping good financial records is vital for the farm's long-term success. Farm records can get neglected by most farmers who prefer to be out on the property instead of in the office. The following tips, if implemented, can make the farm operation more efficient and stronger and prepare the farm...
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a calculator sitting on top of various farm-related tax forms

Choosing your farm financial records software

Improving farm efficiency is vital in today’s farming world. Keeping track of your farm financial records and being able to report the results with ease helps the farmer to improve operational efficiency.  Selecting the right software for record keeping is vital.Just like preferences in...
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A dollar sign symbol on top of a keyboard and stacks of money

Tips for working with your farm lender

The average age of farmers in Illinois hovers at around sixty years of age. This statistic implies that many current farmers have memories of the 1980s when the world of Midwest farming fell apart: many family farm operations were forced out of business. The 1970s saw a sharp increase in grain...
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Farm Focus
Blog Articles
Field Notes
Blog Articles
Anhydrous ammonia tanks in snowy farm field

Nutrient November: What are the 4R's?

With harvest wrapped up across most of Illinois, many growers are starting to consider fall nitrogen fertilizer applications.  Fall applied nitrogen is fairly common throughout Illinois as ammonia is typically cheaper in the fall and there is less of a time crunch than spring applied N, but...
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IVCC Plot Sign

Extension + IVCC Research Plots update

The growing season is underway at the University of Illinois Extension + Illinois Valley Community College Agriculture Research and Demonstration plots.  On the IVCC side, plots were planted with multiple varieties of corn and soybeans donated by Channel Seed.  These plots will be used to...
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Pesticide News
Elm zigzag sawfly larva

Illinois Invasive: Elm Zigzag Sawfly

The elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) is an invasive pest of elm trees (Ulmus spp.) that was first detected in Illinois in July 2024 in Busse Woods, Cook County. Native to parts of China and Japan, this species became established in Europe in 2003 and was first detected in the United...
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Phytobac system

Phytobac™ breaks down spray tank residues

Private applicators have a novel way to handle spray tank residues when cleaning agricultural machinery and spraying equipment that was presented at the 2025 Pesticide Stewardship Alliance annual conference recently. The following information was provided by Lee Huber, SR. Residue Manager with...
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containers ready for recycling

Container recycling and the ACRC

Recently, I participated in The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance’s 25th annual conference. The Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) had an exhibitor booth and explained what the ACRC does. In their 33 years of service to U.S. growers and custom applicators, they have collected over 257,000,000...
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pesticide containers on a shelf

Spring cleaning of pesticide storage areas

For many, spring is an opportunity to deep clean and organize homes, offices and other areas that have become cluttered over the winter and previous year. Your pesticide storage areas shouldn’t be overlooked. A well-organized and maintained pesticide storage area will help to save time and money...
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Honey Bee, Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org

Protecting pollinators from pesticides

As spring continues to warm up and weeds and insects increase in abundance, demand for management of these populations will continue to grow. Along with pest insects and flowering weeds, bees, wasps, butterflies, and flies will also begin to emerge as essential pollinators in many systems. While...
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College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Illinois Extension

101 Mumford Hall (MC-710)

1301 W. Gregory Dr.

Urbana, IL 61801

Email: extension@illinois.edu

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