The drought is over in Champaign County. Are more likely in the future?
The drought in Champaign County that began last fall finally ended in April.
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Yankee Ridge students head to Sola Gratia Farm for the last time this spring – with the program’s future uncertain
This week could be the last Friday on the Farm, because the grants supporting Urbana District 116’s Farm to School program run out at the end of June.
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House passage of E15 bill praised in corn states, but its future is uncertain in the Senate
The House passed a bill to allow the year-round sale of E15 – a priority in farm states – following infighting among Republicans.
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How one program is working to bring Corn Belt farmers together for conservation agriculture
Corn Belt farmers are in the midst of multiple crises.
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It’s a hard time to be a farmer. Many can struggle, but help is available
Farmers have one of the highest suicide rates in the U.S. of any occupation, and in rural communities, suicide rates tend to be higher than in urban areas. Mental health initiatives, like the statewide Farm Family Resource Center, aim to help.
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These seed banks preserve crucial corn and soy varieties. A federal plan may put them at risk
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing moving the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center and the National Soybean Germplasm Collection from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, where they’ve both been housed for decades.
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Farmers look at new ways to cut costs as turning a profit gets harder
The cost of doing business in agriculture was already high before the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which spiked fertilizer and fuel prices.
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This program helped underserved farmers access land. Then USDA cut the funding
The program’s goal was to assist historically underserved farmers and ranchers, including Black, Indigenous and immigrant farmers, veterans and people farming for the first time.
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Congresswoman Budzinski discusses recent rumors of ICE in C-U and Farm Bill during meeting with local officials, advocates
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski and Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams met with advocates in Champaign on Monday to discuss immigration enforcement concerns. The meeting comes after false rumors spread last week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were being sent to the area.
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Illinois farmers relieved as U.S. House passes Farm Bill, but still concerned about some provisions
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act, includes provisions impacting agriculture, including crop protection tools, livestock policy, and risk management programs.
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Have a beef with sky-high meat prices? Some people find buying a whole cow saves a bit of money
Buying beef in bulk from a rancher has become comparatively affordable as retail prices rise.
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Animal activists celebrate their first global ‘Sanctuary Day’
The Farm Micro Sanctuary in Indiana is one of more than a dozen farm animal shelters in the Midwest.
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Bird populations are shrinking faster in agriculture hotspots— including the Midwest, study finds
New research out of Ohio State University found the rate of bird decline was quicker in areas with more intense agricultural practices.
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Trump wants to slash $5 billion from USDA’s budget. That could hurt rural America, critics say
Some close watchers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s budget aren’t thrilled with the Trump administration’s proposal — but they’re hopeful some of the suggested cuts won’t make it in the final spending plans passed by Congress.
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Trump’s foreign farm worker policy criticized by both unions and ‘America First’ groups
Guest farm workers holding H-2A visas are more important than ever for agriculture, especially after President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
