Spring planting is right around the corner here in central Illinois. As the weather warms up, more producers are beginning to prepare their equipment to get into the field at the right time. While getting the seeds in the ground at the right time is important this time of year, equally important is...
While federal agricultural policy can come in many different forms, the Farm Bill is the arguably the most important. Typically passed and enacted every five years, a Farm Bill sets out the funding for various programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), including...
Agriculture in the United States is constantly changing, and keeping up with those changes is important for anyone involved in the industry. Each year, the USDA’s Economic Research Service (USDA‑ERS) publishes the Farms and Ranches at a Glance report to help show what is happening across U...
In a presentation I gave during the Springfield Agronomy Summit last week, I mentioned that the landscape of trade policy was constantly changing. I discussed, among other things, the tariffs that had been imposed in 2025 and the court challenges to those tariffs. The Supreme Court must have heard...
February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month, and the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), the American Phytopathological Society (APS), and the Entomological Society of America (ESA) are inviting you to participate in promoting pesticide safety awareness and practices during February...
Just a quick reminder that Paraquat users are required to participate in product training every three years. EPA requires that Paraquat applicators take an EPA-approved training program every three years in order to mix, load, apply, or handle Paraquat. Users should check the date printed on their...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced new digital tools designed to help pesticide applicators comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) mitigation requirements. These requirements, which have expanded in recent years, require applicators to implement runoff and spray...
You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Here are some of the more frequent questions we get from Illinois pesticide applicators. Don’t see what you are looking for? Let us know what you are wondering about. Also, a lot of information...
The farm economy in central Illinois is entering yet another year of financial pressures. Recent projections show that, despite slight increases in market prices, many corn and soybean producers could expect negative returns. Long-term data shows that 2024 was the lowest income year for grain farms...
Among the many topics making headlines in 2025, agricultural trade policy has been one of the most discussed and impactful for agricultural producers in central Illinois and across the United States. At the center of this has been tariffs on imported goods. There have been legal challenges to these...
