Cultivators Prioritize Patients As Cannabis Shortages Loom
There are just weeks left until adult-use recreational cannabis becomes legal in Illinois. While many consumers have been looking forward to that day…
Revamped Trade Deal Offers ‘Hope’ To IL Farm Bureau
Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert says the new trade agreement the U-S has brokered with Canada and Mexico offers hope after a tough year for the state’s farmers. Guebert says Canada and Mexico were already strong trading partners for Illinois farmers, but the ongoing trade dispute with China has made U-S’ neighbors to the…
State Hosting Hemp Farming Summit On December 17
The Illinois Department of Agriculture will host a hemp summit on December 17 in Springfield. It is aimed at bringing together farmers, processing companies, and others to share tips and tricks about the plant. The summit will happen at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Hemp, unlike its THC-rich cousin marijuana, can be…
Thousands Of Illinoisans Could Lose Food Stamps Under Trump Change
About 100,000 Illinoisans will lose food stamps under a rule change finalized by the Trump administration this week. The rule change to the SNAP program, as food stamps are now called, takes effect in April. It will make it harder for states to waive work and time limit requirements for able-bodied adults to receive assistance….
Farmers Receive Record Payments For The Crops They Couldn’t Plant
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paid out a record $4.24 billion in claims for acres farmers couldn’t plant this year. The “prevented planting”…
Why It’s Hard To Help Children Through Mental Health Challenges In Rural Communities
While local 4-H groups are known for summer programming, educator Julie Kreikemeier works with hundreds of students year-round across Colfax and Cuming…
A New Law Allows More Farmers To Qualify For Bankruptcy, And Some Are Thinking About It
It’s a difficult year for many farmers in the United States. A wet spring flooded crops and delayed planting across the Midwest, while trade conflicts…
Reporter’s Notebook: Knowing What’s In The Heart(land)
Reporting any story means having to learn more about myself, what I care about and what I want to do next. For example, I once talked with John Gruidl of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs. He said a lot of younger folks now choose a place to live before they choose a job, and…
The Corn Belt’s Traditional Summer Job Of Detasseling Delayed By Weather
Every summer, thousands of Midwestern kids as young as 13 load onto school buses early in the morning to do one of the hottest, dirtiest temporary jobs…
Hemp And The Challenges Of Farming’s Frontier
There’s millions of dollars to be made from growing hemp, which for years was lumped in and vilified with its sister plant, marijuana. With the…
Durbin Regrets Voting To Take Pell Grants Away From Prisoners
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is cosponsoring legislation that would rollback one of the provisions of the 1994 crime bill. It’s called the Restoring…
Food Hubs Connect Small Farmers To Communities In Need Of Produce
Between the growing warehouse district and the south side of Peoria, Illinois, sits 1312 SW Adams Street. The city-owned building looks like a great…
Use Of Controversial Weed Killer Glyphosate Skyrockets On Midwest Fields
Farmers have been using the weed killer glyphosate – a key ingredient of the product Roundup – at soaring levels even as glyphosate has become…
One Person’s Trash Fish Is Another Town’s Treasured Delicacy
Summer festivals are ubiquitous (especially across the Midwest), and often highlight the local food specialty, be it corn, apples or beef. But when the…
Illinois Farmers Delay Planting Crops Amid Wet Weather, Low Crop Prices And Trade Uncertainty
Floodwaters on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers may be going down, but rain has continued to soak farmland around much of the state. More rain could…