Business

The two most important forces shaping the cooperative business model are future farmers and talent management.

Beck’s broke ground on a new soybean processing facility near New Madrid in southeastern Missouri as part of its expansion into the Mid-South.

Activist-driven ballot measures were shot down by voters in Colorado and California on Nov. 5.

As we head into the holiday season, please support those who support your community. There are many reasons to shop in your local, rural communities.

Voters chose to send Donald Trump, who served his first term as U.S. president from 2016 to 2020, back to the White House in the Nov. 5 national election.

As farmers and ranchers, our work is never just about getting the job done, but looking for the best practices and embracing innovation for whatever challenges may lie ahead.

Cabbages are not exactly the typical big university landscaping, but at Northern Illinois University, cabbages — and other vegetables, fruits and herbs — are the first step in what could be a food revolution.

Chef Bryan Flower hurries toward one of the raised “free-to-pick” vegetable, flower and herb beds that flank Neptune North residence and dining hall on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb.

Anchor Ingredients, a provider of high-quality ingredients for the pet food industry, celebrated the grand opening of its new transload and ingredient processing facility in Richmond in east-central Indiana.

An Illinois State University organics class toured a farm and milling facility to see up close the field-to-bag process.

Some farm leaders might want to try out nearly every new method or new piece of technology, simply because it is the new thing.

As American grocery buyers await a verdict on Kroger’s two-year-old bid to buy Albertsons, the European Commission took just 35 days to give its blessing to the merger between two of the world’s largest grain merchandisers.

Working one-on-one with farmers and seeing positive changes across the landscape is what drives Aidan Walton. Walton has served farmers as a Precision Conservation Management specialist since 2021.

In a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape, the role of a government affairs advocate is more critical than ever. Kala Jenkins has spent the past year navigating the intricate world of agricultural policy and advocacy.

Confetti, traveling and fair food, oh my. Many people joke that my teammates and I are now “owned” by Illinois FFA.

Indiana’s agbioscience sector contributes $69.6 billion to the state’s economy, according to a new study from AgriNovus.

Members of the Farm Financial Standards Council elected its 2024-2025 leadership team and installed two new members to its board of directors at its annual conference in Louisville.

Whom do you consider your farming business partners? Farms can have several different scenarios when it comes to who is part of the leadership team and how many people are involved.

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced that 708 addresses will gain access to high-speed broadband as a result of more than $3.3 million awarded through the Indiana Connectivity Program.

American Farmland Trust and ADM are launching the next season of a program that supports Illinois farmers and the environment.

When you think about a successful farm operation, what comes to mind? Maybe the operation itself looks a certain way. Maybe it’s doing extremely financially well as a business.

The story of the newly married couple and their dream of continuing the family farming legacy is a tale of determination and resilience in the face of challenges.

Members of the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers elected a new leadership team during the organization’s annual meeting with Elizabeth Strom being named the new president.

Farming is a beautiful way of life for many families. It’s also a business. An often-quoted phrase is an important one in agriculture: the business of business is relationships.

Effective March 1, Co-Alliance Cooperative and Ceres Solutions Cooperative Inc. will merge to form Keystone Cooperative Inc.

It was the dog, stuck atop skyscraping grain silos on Springfield’s northeast side in 2019, that forced Chris Richmond’s hand.

Indiana-based farmer-owned cooperatives Co-Alliance and Ceres Solutions Cooperative are pursuing a merger. If realized, the combined cooperative will have 1,800 full-time employees who will serve hundreds of rural communities in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

The 31st annual Cattlemen’s College, sponsored by Zoetis, will be held Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Orlando in conjunction with CattleCon24. The event draws more than 1,000 attendees every year.

A milling company has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges that employees at a Wisconsin corn plant falsified records in the years leading up to a fatal corn dust explosion.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is the chance to see how farmers are developing and implementing new innovative solutions as we work together to feed, fuel and clothe the world.

The recent acquisition of some 73 stores from a Missouri-based company has made Bomgaars the nation’s second largest farm and ranch retailer, behind Tractor Supply Company, the Sioux City-based company said.

Technology is constantly changing. It helps us accomplish more tasks, use fewer resources and increase efficiency on the farm. Innovations start with hardworking people who put everything they have into turning their ideas into solutions.

When my long career in ag communications — specifically in farm broadcasting — comes to an end, I hope to be remembered as someone who helped bring talented young journalists into the fold.

Excitement levels were high as delegates to the 94th Illinois FFA State Convention elected five members to the state officer team during the Thursday morning session of the three-day convention.

Our garden tiller broke down at the end of May. Unfortunately, between the estimated cost of parts and cost of labor, the man at the hardware store told us it would cost more to repair than to replace.

Three Indiana Grown members were presented Small Business of the Year awards from the Indiana Small Business Development Center and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation during Small Business Week.

Row crops and livestock were part of Tammy Miller’s day-to-day life on her family’s Livingston County farm and she now shares her experiences and helps guide college students toward agricultural careers.

Indianapolis is home to a new agbioscience company, Intelinair. Intelinair is an automated crop intelligence company that leverages AI and machine learning to model crop performance.

The Ag Economy Barometer dipped five points in November to a reading of 116, down from 121 in October.

Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.8% in November compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, energy, housing, autos and clothing left Americans enduring their highest annual inflation rate in 39 years.

Late at night buried in legal briefs, Sarah Vogel occasionally took a moment to contemplate the magnitude of the lawsuit she had filed seeking to help farmers facing foreclosure. “I should be keeping a diary,” she thought.

It’s been more than seven years since it was announced that Cronus Chemicals would develop a $1.4 billion fertilizer plant west of Tuscola.

My grandparents received exactly one paycheck per year, usually in mid-August, when they took calves to market. I was probably 5 or 6 years old the first time I got to go to the sale and sit in the grandstand as the cattle were auctioned off in lots.

The Illinois Soybean Association’s agribusiness program, funded by the checkoff program, is launching new resources in the coming months, including learning modules and farm family videos, to help guide on-farm decision-making.

GROWMARK and CHS announced the formation of Cooperative Ventures, a new capital fund that will focus on creating advancements in breakthrough technologies for the agriculture industry.

Farmers Business Network will make significant investments in technology, data science and hire over 300 employees with $300 million in Series G funding.

In ag, and any other industry, it’s true that there are some people who seem to be more open to change and some who are less open. Some might even be downright against seemingly any change, even when the change might be helpful or provide an advantage for their operation.

Intelinair, the maker of AGMRI, announced the addition of LeAnn Bruns as territory account manager with sales responsibilities in Indiana.

Alliant Energy has announced plans to buy and expand an existing solar farm project at Palo to make it Iowa’s largest solar and battery storage facility.

Even in “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Josh Linville was still thinking about the country’s — and the world’s — fertilizer situation.