Category Archives: Ask The Expert: Agriculture
Farmers kicking off the 2025 planting season
Planting season is underway in Central Illinois. (Photo courtesy: File) MORTON, Ill. (WMBD) - Planting season for farmers in Illinois typically kicks off in March and goes through April and May.Accord...
May 09, 2025
Illinois governor moves to slash cover crop funds despite rising demand
Soybeans planted in cereal rye cover crop. Planting cover crops can reduce soil erosion, break up compacted soil, provide a habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife, and prevent latent fertilizer f...
Mar 31, 2025
Central Illinois farmers see record crops during fall harvest
Farmers continue to harvest across the Central Illinois landscape. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)By USDA SPRINGFIELD – Corn: Planted area is estimated at 10.8 million acres, down 4 percent from las...
Oct 11, 2024
Max Armstrong: Harvest season getting underway in Illinois
Hall of Fame Agriculture Broadcaster Max Armstrong spoke with WJBC’s Blake Haas. (Photo courtesy: Max Armstrong/Twitter) By Blake HaasBLOOMINGTON – As fields begin to dry out, farmers acro...
Sep 26, 2022
Fertilizer prices hit record levels amid the war in Ukraine
Curt Kimmel, Owner of Bates Commodities in Normal spoke with WJBC’s Blake Haas. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File) By Blake HaasBLOOMINGTON – Amid an invasion of Ukraine, farmers across Illinois ...
Apr 07, 2022
USDA: Illinois farmers finished 2021 with record year for soybeans
Mark Schleusener, state statistician, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, says Mother Nature gets some of the credit for big numbers for corn and soybeans in 2021. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/Fil...
Jan 12, 2022
Weekly crop report shows corn planting ahead of schedule
Rainy conditions hindered farmers ability to plant cash crops in the past week. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)By Dave Dahl and Blake HaasSPRINGFIELD – Rainy conditions hindered farmers’ abili...
May 18, 2021
Farmer’s market returns to Downtown Bloomington
The market runs outdoors from seven-thirty in the morning to noon every Saturday until the end of October. (Photo courtesy: Heart of Illinois ABC)By Heart of Illinois ABCBLOOMINGTON – Bloomingto...
May 02, 2021
Illinois corn growers are out with their legislative wish list
State and federal lawmakers can count on hearing from the Illinois Corn Growers Association in 2021. (Photo by Carrie Muehling/WJBC)By Dave DahlSPRINGFIELD – Illinois corn growers are out with t...
Feb 22, 2021
A trans-fat-free variety of soybean is finding a new use
Doug Winter, a soybean farmer near Mill Shoals in southeastern Illinois and a member of the United Soybean Board, says new uses for soybean products include two brands of running shoes. (Photo courtes...
Dec 21, 2020
