This month Extension Educator Doug Gucker discusses current trends in marketing, how 2018 will treat grain farmers and skills resilient farm managers need. And to wrap it all up Illinois Extension is back at it again with its Small Farms Winter Webinar Series starting in January. Details and...

Deck the halls with news of NAFTA. Extension Educator Doug Gucker isn't usually a grinch, but he doesn't have good news when it comes to how the trade agreement may affect farmers. And small farmers who sell direct to consumers need to take heed new Food Safety Modernization Act exemption rules....

The rain Central Illinois has been waiting on finally came and with it wet soils and the possibility of compaction. Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker talks about that and soil temperatures and fall nitrogen, the winter weather outlook and pesticide applicator training programs...

Central Illinois got some much-needed rain the first week of October which gave farmers a bit of a break from the 2017 harvest which is halfway complete. In this issue, Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker discusses soil testing, cover crops and new decreased fertlizer...

Harvest is underway in Central Illinois. Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker is talking about field conditions, a growing number of stink bugs and what a dry fall has to do with tractor maintenance and insurance. Follow Doug on Twitter @soilwaterdoug or subscribe to his blog "...

It's harvest season, which means farmers and vehicles are sharing the road. Extension Educator Doug Gucker provides guidelines on rural road safety from leaving plenty of room when passing to making sure SMV emblems on equipment are visible. Also in this episode, moderate drought conditions in...

In Illinois, 75% of farmland is owned by non-farming landowners. University of Illinois Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker talks about what farmers in Central Illinois need to know about this year's projected yields to renegotiate effectively. Don't forget the solar eclipse...

Moving into August, Extension Educator Doug Gucker touches on field conditions for corn and soybeans in Central Illinois, market price expectations and how to give input for the Illinois Farm Bill. He's also thinking ahead to later this month when Extension will be at the Farm Progress Show in...

Extension's Doug Gucker is talking all about the weather this week from heavy dew mornings and how a wet spring followed by a dry stretch means corn is shorter than normal in parts of Central Illinois. He touches on crop progress and prices. Follow him on Twitter @soilwaterdoug or subscribe to...

Here is the drought map for Illinois - http://bit.ly/2tQS3Em. Notice that yellow swath with DeWitt, Macon and Piatt Counties right in the middle? Extension Educator Doug Gucker talks about what drought conditions mean for crops as well as a rally in prices, herbicide drift, pests and upcoming...