Farming

The consensus of agricultural economists is that crop prices, especially for corn, soybeans and cotton, will go down this year. The cost of farming is also expected to go down but not as much.

Recent heat and drought have fueled concerns about this year’s corn crop, as producers in the Midwest see a wide range of conditions.

Western Illinois landowners and farmers are needed for a survey about the challenges they face on their land. The Illinois Extension’s survey will turn the feedback from landowners in Adams, Pike, Brown, Hancock and Schuyler counties into educational programming and resources to help them.

The farm bill sets crucial policy for food assistance, crop insurance and more, and it’s set to expire Sept. 30. Congress is unlikely to meet that deadline, but they still need to decide how much money to spend on the bill.

A fifth of reported heat-related deaths between 2017 and 2022 were agricultural workers, according to OSHA data. Academics, occupational health specialists and advocacy groups are calling attention to the under-reported impact of climate change on this group from heatwaves.

If not repaired, the aging bridge, the only connection to Choteau Island for vehicles, could be further shuttered to the dismay of farmers, utility providers and government agencies.

Ranchers across the Midwest are battling black vultures, a federally protected bird that has a reputation for killing newborn livestock. While the birds play a major ecological role, their expanding population is becoming a big nuisance for producers.

The EPA has completed less than 5% of its Endangered Species Act caseload in reviewing pesticides. Now the agency is proposing a new strategy for scrutinizing agricultural chemicals’ effects on listed species.

A group of Midwestern shrimp farmers is on a mission to provide Americans with better-tasting, sustainable shrimp. The industry struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but farmers remain hopeful that the industry will come back stronger than ever.

A cold spell in late December damaged peach crops across southern Illinois. Some orchards estimate a loss of nearly 90%. That means there will be fewer local peaches in area grocery stores.