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Kevin Brooks

Commercial Ag Educator, Farm Business Management and Marketing

Serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell Counties

Keywords

Commercial Agriculture

Agriculture

Marketing

Drainage

Annie's Project

Farm Business Management

Estate Planning

Insurance

Communication

Financial Planning

Corn

Soybeans

Wheat

Cover Crops

Taxes

Drones

kwbrooks@illinois.edu

(309) 543-3308

Farm Coach Blog

A combine moves across a dusty harvested field with clouds & setting sun in background.

Farm Estate Planning Series: Are Your Heirs Ready for the Changes Your Death Will Cause?

August 21, 2026

Farm Coach

Disclaimer - The following is meant only for educational purposes and not to be construed as legal or tax advice.Thinking about retiring from farming? Maybe you are brainstorming how the operation will transition when you are gone due to illness, injury, or death. Managing a farm in a fast...

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A large farming harvest operating is taking place in an agricultural field with clouds & blue sky in background.

Farm Estate Planning Series: The First Place to Start

August 6, 2026

Farm Coach

Disclaimer - The following is meant only for educational purposes and not to be construed as legal or tax advice.This article will help you organize your farm into a document from which you will create an estate plan, so your advisors understand exactly what you own and how the operation...

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Distant view of a country road with a barn on the left, power lines on the right and a blue sky with some clouds in the background.

Farm Estate Planning Series: You Need a Solid Farm Estate Plan

August 5, 2026

Farm Coach

Disclaimer - The following is meant only for educational purposes and not to be construed as legal or tax advice.In the past decade, more attention has been given to estate planning for family farm businesses, as the average age of commercial farmers in Illinois is 60-plus, and most...

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Illinois Farm Cash Rent Trends in 2026

May 22, 2026

Farm Coach

Illinois farmers and landowners have completed their farm lease negotiations for the 2026 production year. Forecasts indicate farmers will endure a fourth year in a row of operational losses. However, government payments have lessened this impact, and because each farm is different, the results are...

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Illinois Farmland Values in 2026: Volatile Signals

May 21, 2026

Farm Coach

Farmland Sales in Illinois are continuing their recent pattern of being unpredictable. Low farmer profits are the main driver of this volatility, but other factors also weigh on the marketplace. Sources for this article include: The Land Sales Bulletin, the 2026 Illinois Farmland...

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Farm Drainage Series Part 8: A USDA certified wetland review is required before altering farm drainage

May 19, 2026

Farm Coach

Most farmers and absentee landowners who own or farm cropland in Illinois rely on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) benefit programs. These programs serve as a safety net to keep farm operations economically viable and motivate them to adopt environmentally friendly farming...

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Farm Drainage Series Part 7: Farmers incentivizing landowners to make tile improvements

May 5, 2026

Farm Coach

Farm drainage tile systems in Illinois have aged, leaving many farms poorly drained, resulting in lower crop yields. Upgrading farm drainage systems faces many hurdles, but landowners' reluctance to invest in tile improvements is the primary obstacle. This reluctance on the part of landowners...

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A farmer in cap and coveralls is bent over looking at a broken tile and water.

Farm Drainage Series Part 6: Repairing and Maintaining Farm Tile Systems

April 14, 2026

Farm Coach

This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements.Contractors design modern farm drainage-tile installations to last for many decades. Some older systems are approaching and exceeding 100 years old. Hiring an experienced,...

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A tile contractor uses a backhoe loader to aid installation of a large tile main, with dirt road on left and farm field on the right.

Farm Drainage Series Part 5: Challenges Installing Drainage Tile Mains — Railroads, Highways, and Others

March 27, 2026

This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements.Installing the necessary drainage tile on your farm often requires a tile main to direct water through an underground drain tile system and then through a neighbor’s...

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Farm Drainage Series: Part 4 - Negotiating a Mutual Farm Tile Project: A Joint Tile Main Case Study

March 23, 2026

Farm Coach

Note: This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements. Improving farm drainage tiles in Illinois can be very challenging because most farmland is owned by absentee landowners rather than by the farmer. Owners...

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