#StillFarming

Kate Nelson was in Los Angeles pursuing her passion for stand-up comedy and theater when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Tractors are in the streets in Paris, Rome, Brussels and many other cities and towns across Europe this winter.

The prices for corn and soybeans have been grinding downward since the summer of 2022.

My family’s fourth-generation farm has been growing asparagus in west Michigan for decades, but that could soon be changing. Simply put, there are too many hurdles that block my path to growing this nutritious crop efficiently and sustainably.

Larry Hopkins, a sheep farmer from Westfield, was one of three new farmers elected to serve on the executive board of the American Sheep Industry Association.

He’s now retired from Iowa State University Extension, but the economist from Cyclone Nation donned the orange and blue of the Fighting Illini to talk about the future — and the past — to a group of northern Illinois farmers.

In 2023, my first full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation, I enjoyed witnessing the complete cycle of the grassroots policy development process, from county Farm Bureau meetings to last year’s convention in Puerto Rico.

After a five-year run that featured a costly trade war and an even costlier, deadly pandemic, the biggest players in the global soybean market are positioning themselves for a big, bruising 2023-2024 marketing year.

Remember that bottle of antibacterial hand soap you tucked into the back of the cabinet when the COVID pandemic first started?

The old maxim, “the more things change, the more things stay the same,” might ring true for some facets of our lives, but it’s not true for climate change.

Congress passed a continuing resolution to extend the 2018 farm bill until Sept. 30, 2024. The extension was bundled with a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through early 2024.

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., baseball’s “Iron Man” who holds the record for most consecutive games played, will be among the featured speakers at Dairy Strong, one of the Midwest’s premiere conferences for the dairy community.

After completing his training to become a radio technician for the U.S. Army, David Boelkens had orders to go to Hawaii, but when he got to California his orders were changed to Vietnam.

Dairy is a hard industry, even on its best days, and a lot of that comes from understanding the puzzle of how prices are set under the Federal Milk Marketing Order system.

In general, exercise does not harm the heart. On the contrary, exercise is almost always good for the heart. However, there are exceptions.

A new dairy checkoff growth program with pizza partners is expected to drive an additional 12-plus million pounds of cheese use.

The Federal Reserve left U.S. interest rates unchanged this month, waiting to see if the rapid rate hikes since March 2022 will finally push inflation down to their target of 2%.

The course catalog for the winter semester of the local senior college arrived in the mail, and I’ve already highlighted over a dozen classes, talks, lectures and seminars that I’d like to take.

The demand for trucks is strong. But the supply? “You won’t see a stock truck on our lot. Everything has been sold before it gets here,” said Kyle Zwicker, truck sales representative at CIT Trucks.

I managed to avoid COVID for almost four years, but it finally tagged me. I had a cold and wanted to get ahead of a sinus infection, so I went to urgent care in hopes of a steroid shot or Z-Pak.

Winter isn’t even close, and already we’re seeing an increase in illnesses. They’re calling it a “tripledemic,” and it includes the regular flu, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and our enemy COVID.

Farmland values rose slightly year-over-year and from the first to the second quarter of 2023 in the Seventh Federal Reserve District, according to a survey.

When asked to describe war, Union General William T. Sherman noted that “war is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.” Later, Sherman did refine his dictum to the much shorter, impossible-to-forget: “War is hell.”

Food insecurity is on the rise. New data on global food security and nutrition indicate a significant increase in the number of people on this planet lacking access, at times, to enough food for an active and healthy life.

Chris Gould harvested record wheat yields from his farm in July. “The wheat produced 115 bushels per acre,” said Gould, who together with his wife, Dana, grow corn, soybeans and wheat on their Kane County farm.

Farmers markets gave people something they desperately sought during the pandemic: A place to shop outdoors, and at the same time support smaller, often local businesses.

Chris Gould planted soybeans this year on some of the acres where he grew soybeans last year.

Illinois cattle operations have a significant effect on the economy in the state. “Your industry has a $500 million impact on the state of Illinois,” said John Herath, communications director for the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

What the hot topic of conversation will be is obvious — the May 11 Supreme Court decision upholding the 2018 California ballot initiative, Proposition 12.

Since 1991, the Beef Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit has delivered a set of guideposts and measurements for cattle producers and other stakeholders to help determine quality conformance of the U.S. beef supply.

Ten years, 2,500 stories, thousands of photos, hundreds of blogs — and it’s just the beginning of my career as an agricultural journalist.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a last-minute emergency waiver to allow E15 gasoline to be sold nationwide this summer. This was the fourth straight year the waiver was implemented.

Despite the urging from her high school ag teacher, becoming an ag instructor was not in Miranda Buss’s career plans.

Agricultural classes at Rolling Meadows High School are oriented toward teaching life skills and providing opportunities for students.

First-year ag teacher and Tri-Point FFA Chapter co-adviser Kaylee Shouse entered the University of Illinois on-track for a career in elementary education.

Among the goals of agricultural educators is to open their students’ eyes to the industry’s diversity and countless opportunities, many of which would not have been known had it not been for a teacher.

For more than one organization, recent remarks by U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai fell short of what ag groups wanted to hear from the Biden administration on agricultural trade.

All farmers have the opportunity to participate in conversations about food production.

Three years ago, Farm Bureau launched our #StillFarming campaign. Our goal was simple: reassure Americans that farmers and ranchers were committed to maintaining a steady food supply at a time when many Americans witnessed empty grocery store shelves.

In my column from Dec. 30 last year, entitled “Cattle report bullish for prices,” I wrote: “Moving forward, I am uncomfortable with the long side of most markets for the first quarter of 2023."

Several important agricultural issues were discussed in D.C. as new bills and committees were formed.

How does it feel when you’re the only one in the whole grocery store who’s wearing a mask? Or, when you get three phone calls from the senior center asking if you’re interested in signing up for the monthly ladies lunch, after you’ve already said no?

The new Illinois State Auctioneers Association president found his “calling” by happenstance while attending a golf outing benefit 23 years ago.

Loading. Loading. Loading. Oh, wait. Disconnected. For many rural residents across the nation, it’s an all too familiar feeling when trying to stream content, check email or upload files.

A first look at new crop balance sheets kicked off the 99th Agricultural Outlook Forum.

It looks like U.S. consumers will have to stomach another year of historically high food prices.

Sauk Valley area Ag in the Classroom program volunteers were recognized for their accomplishments during the Illinois Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in Chicago.

Illinois county fair boards are focused on fun — and funds — in the 2023 fair year.

Despite the rocky start by the 118th Congress, a majority staffer is optimistic about the prospects of a new farm bill.

After a two-year hiatus, the Mid-West Truck and Trailer Show is back. “We are excited. There are a lot of people in the industry who are just excited about there being an event again,” said Don Schaefer, executive vice president of the Mid-West Truckers Association.