Central Illinois was too wet for much planting last week, according to the latest USDA crop report.… MORE
Category Archives: Agribusiness
State’s planting season off to a good start
The state’s two major cash crops have begun 2020 on a strong note.… MORE
Illinois agriculture will feel impact of crisis
The worldwide coronavirus crisis will have an impact on Illinois agriculture.… MORE
IDPH: Fourth person tests positive for coronavirus
The Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health Monday announced that a fourth Illinois resident has tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus.… MORE
From boom to uncertainty, a volatile decade for Illinois farmers
Looking back over the last decade in Illinois agriculture, Illinois Farm Bureau Senior Economist and Policy Analyst Michael Doherty said it started with a bang but has since deflated. … MORE
LaHood attends signing of ‘Phase One’ trade deal with China
The U.S. and China on Wednesday signed a “Phase One” trade deal that includes pledges from Beijing to more than double its purchases from American farmers in the first year.… MORE
Illlinois Ag Director resigns over controversial 2012 email
Illinois Department of Agriculture Director John Sullivan has resigned after he apparently knew about a 2012 email from former top lobbyist Mike McClain over an alleged “rape in Champaign.”… MORE
Crop yields are down and the quality questionable
The numbers are in from a planting season you might describe as disappointing but not surprising.… MORE
Illinois Farm Bureau survey of farmers finds 2019 was a stressful year
Because of the weather and market conditions that largely are out of their control, farmers are used to dealing with high amounts of stress.… MORE
IDOA hosts ‘Hemp Summit’ in Springfield
The first year of legalized hemp growing in Illinois was not without hiccups. And there’s plenty to learn, as the state hosted about 700 people for a “hemp summit” in Springfield Tuesday.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…