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Farm Coach
Blog Articles
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
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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people in a legal meeting

Pesticide related bills being considered now

There are several pesticide related bills being considered in the Illinois Senate and House currently. We’ve been told that action will need to be taken on many of these in the next couple of weeks if they are to become laws. Some have previous versions that were introduced in past years and will...
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