TOLONO — Lin Warfel puts farmland owners in central Illinois into two categories: Those with a deep connection and desire to preserve their land, and those obsessed with short-term money. The 80-year-old still owns the land that’s been in his family since his great-grandfather arrived in Champaign County in the 1800’s. After farming it…
URBANA — 80 years from now, Illinois’ climate may be unrecognizable. Summers could get a lot hotter, with temperatures reaching up to 114 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. The state could see up to 150% more rainfall per year than it does currently, with more storms dumping more rain more frequently. Snow days would mostly…
BROADLANDS — When it rains on Joe Rothermel’s central Illinois farm, most of the water drains into the nearby East Branch Embarras River. There, it begins a journey south through the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. As it flows through more and more farmland, fertilizer runoff — which once nourished crops — compounds the water’s…
Read this article in English here . Un sábado reciente, unas camionetas blancas trasladaron a grupos pequeños de campesinos migrantes del huerto donde…
Illinois billionaire Shahid Khan is known for building the automotive parts company Flex ‘N Gate, based in Urbana, IL, into a global manufacturer with 69 facilities around the world. He also is known as the owner of the National Football League team Jacksonville Jaguars and the UK’s Fulham F.C. soccer team. In addition, he has…
On a recent Saturday, white vans shuttled small groups of migrant farmworkers from the southern Illinois orchard where they work to St. Joseph’s…
CHAMPAIGN – Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis hasn’t said he’s running for governor. But the 13th District U.S. representative sounded like someone who might, during a meeting with farmers in Champaign on Monday. Listen to this story here. At a meeting of his Agriculture Advisory Coalition, Davis blamed Governor J.B. Pritzker for problems in the state’s…
Some states are saying they won’t use Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine to immunize vulnerable, harder-to-reach populations, including…
Many researchers have looked at nitrogen pollution hotspots around the country. But a new first-of-its-kind, multi-year study from the University of…
Steve Larimore was hoping to triple the size of his garden this year. Once the seed catalog arrived at his home near Bend, Ore., Larimore excitedly got…
Last month, the Illinois Department of Agriculture opened applications for its second annual Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program — which provides a…
URBANA – A University of Illinois professor helped the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) transition from the Trump to the new Biden-Harris administration. Jonathan Coppess is one of hundreds of people — including researchers, professors and scientists — who volunteered their time on the effort. Coppess, an assistant professor within the U of I’s agriculture…
A group of senators is pushing the incoming Biden-Harris administration to “restore” the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) — a program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by requiring oil refineries to blend in a minimum volume of biofuels. Under the Trump administration, oil refineries were granted numerous waivers for meeting that requirement. Critics argue the…
It’s been a tough year for essential workers — nurses, first responders, grocery store workers. But among the hardest hit are agricultural workers, who have been working non-stop to keep food on our tables while struggling to make ends meet themselves. Organizations like the Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) are trying to help by…
Hemp is a hard crop to grow — just ask Jay Kata. “We were filthy and we were dirty and we were sweaty and it sucked and it was hot and it was miserable…