With lower grain prices, higher interest rates and increased production costs, some farms are facing a challenging financial situation.

Jim Henry forecasts an unprecedented financial crisis, a perfect storm of soaring input costs and plummeting commodity prices.

This is a new scam, but then it’s what we expect from thieves — yet another way to steal from us. This one involves our innocent-seeming bank debit card, a scammer and a pair of scissors.

The Indiana Ag Gathering will take place Dec. 12-13 at the French Lick Springs Resort. The registration deadline is Dec. 4.

Farmland values were unchanged from the second to third quarter of 2025 in the Seventh Federal Reserve District and up 3% year-over-year.

New data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture created serious doubts about whether China will really buy millions of bushels of American soybeans like the Trump administration touted last month after a high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Having a well-written farm lease is vital in today’s farm rental marketplace.

It’s getting more expensive for Americans to get their caffeine fix.

Agricultural conditions across the Corn Belt are strained in part due to concerns about China’s elimination of soybean purchases and low crop prices, according to a Federal Reserve survey.

An Illinois grain farmer and popular host of podcasts, radio and television shows was the guest speaker at Eureka Savings Bank’s recent inaugural ag event.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs.

Crop prices and trade policies remain among the top concerns across Corn Belt districts for the fourth straight Federal Reserve survey.

The vast majority of U.S. adults are at least somewhat stressed about the cost of groceries, a new poll finds, as prices continue to rise and concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs remain widespread.

The agricultural economic outlook across the Corn Belt’s Federal Reserve Districts remain subdued.

Identifying their business goal will help cattlemen determine where to allocate dollars in their operation.

Government, of course, has dozens of ways to indirectly impact ag markets.

Corn Belt agricultural conditions ranged from weak to slightly favorable in the latest Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.

In the first quarter of 2025, the 7th Federal Reserve District’s agricultural land values saw a 1% increase from a year ago, and “good” farmland values rose 4% from the fourth quarter of 2024 on average across five states.

Financing health care facilities can be an enormous challenge for rural areas, and Farm Credit institutions and community banks are helping meet that challenge.

The current political news brings concerning thoughts about the economic future of farming as we are faced with higher interest rates, lower grain prices and import markets at risk due to trade wars and tariffs.

Agricultural economic conditions remained relatively weak across the Corn Belt, driven by concerns over drought conditions, trade, balance sheets and the lack of farm bill clarity.

What started as a lunch gathering of local agribusiness leaders several months ago culminated into a very successful Illinois Agricultural Summit.

As farmers develop a financial plan for their operation it is important they determine where they are, where they want to go and accurate numbers about their business.

U.S. farmers are projected to shift acreage to corn this spring as corn prices maintain an impressive run while prices for competing crops struggle to keep pace.

The CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, shared expert market and weather analysis.

After a four-year run of substantial gains, agricultural land values in the Seventh Federal Reserve District saw a 1% annual decrease.

U.S. farmers harvested the second-largest corn and soybean crops on record last fall, improving carries in the futures market and lifting the margin outlook for grain elevators storing corn and soybeans.

U.S. dairy exports are approaching record levels as consumer demand for dairy products in Mexico continues to outpace the country’s production.

This past year marked my second full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation and it has been inspiring to see our organization flourish as we serve farmers and ranchers.

By far the biggest lender to U.S. farmers, ranchers and rural businesses is the Farm Credit System whose four banks and 56 associations hold nearly 50% of all debt in rural America.

The 25th annual First State Bank Ag Conference, a special forum for area farmers, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 23 at the Mendota Civic Center.

A west-central Illinois leasing company nears its 50th year of providing a broad range of agriculture and construction equipment.

Though growth in economic activity was generally small, expectations for growth rose moderately across most geographies and sectors across the Federal Reserve Districts.

For the first time since the end of 2019, farmland values in the 7th Federal Reserve District did not see a year-over-year increase.

The U.S. agriculture sector is responsible for nearly 6% of the nation’s gross national product, yet it is operating on farm bill policy set six years ago.

Ron Dykstra knew from a very young age that he wanted to farm.

Agricultural economic activity has been flat to down modestly since early September, with some crop prices remaining unprofitably low.

This fall, many farm leaders are considering how the farm’s financials for 2024 are going to shake out. Many farms across the Midwest are currently experiencing challenges around profit margins.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an additional $250 million in automatic payments for distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Over its 50-year history, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s causes may have shifted, but it has never lost its focus on advocating for local farmers and communities.

The scams against seniors are getting worse, if that’s even possible, and the thieves are becoming sneakier and more creative by the minute. We have to up our game to stay one step ahead of them and not fall victim.

The stories across the Corn Belt’s Federal Reserve Districts mirrored one another in the agriculture sector with concerns over lower commodity prices and favorable crop conditions.

Farmland values for the Seventh Federal Reserve District increased 2% in the second quarter of 2024 from a year earlier, marking the smallest year-over-year gain since the third quarter of 2020.

Agricultural conditions varied in tandem with sporadic droughts across the Federal Reserve districts, but concerns over crop price declines were common in all corners of the Corn Belt.

An educational discussion about farm succession planning will be part of the program during Historic Farm Days.

Gene Schmidt will get to enjoy this year’s Historic Farm Days without having to keep tabs on the books.

Quint Shambaugh, principal of Pinion LLC, discussed the agronomics and economics of tile drainage during a webinar hosted by Halderman Farm Management and Real Estate Services.

Agricultural reports across Federal Reserve Districts in the Corn Belt were mixed, as drought conditions eased in some districts, but farm finances and incomes remained a concern.

Farmland values in the Seventh Federal Reserve District averaged a 4% increase from a year ago, the smallest year-over-year gain in three and a half years.

Business and numbers attracted Aaron Johnson to a career in agricultural financing, but the relationship and people aspect of the business became his passion during the past several decades.