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Commercial Agriculture Blogs

Money surrounded by corn and soybeans.

A cautiously optimistic 2027 crop budget outlook

Farm Focus
For grain producers across central Illinois and the Midwest, the last few years have been some of the most challenging in recent memory. Low commodity prices and skyrocketing input costs, combined with ever-changing geopolitical situations, forced producers to make extremely tough decisions to...
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A tile plow attached to a tractor.

Using tile drainage as a crop management tool

Farm Focus
Central Illinois and the Midwest region more broadly is responsible for growing much of the key crops that drive the U.S. agricultural economy. Whether it is corn grown for animal feed or soybeans grown for biofuels, the high quality of farmland in this region is perhaps the most important factor...
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A blue tractor with a red implement in a field.

Risk management patterns across the United States

Farm Focus
Whether we know it or not, we take risks daily, sometimes even multiple times a day. Think about it; have you ever weighed the consequences of snoozing your alarm and getting those precious five extra minutes of sleep? What about taking a shortcut to work that you have not fully planned out? While...
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A field with a barn and blue skies in the background.

Land values and cash rents in central Illinois

Farm Focus
Agriculture is an ever-changing endeavor. Whether it's fluctuating commodity markets, changes in input prices, or uncertainties in government regulation, nothing in agriculture is ever static. This is especially true for land and land values. Land is one of the most important resources for...
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