USDA cuts remove local conservation experts from nearly half of Illinois counties
The Trump administration cut 22% of the Natural Resources Conservation Service staff in 2025, impacting nearly half of Illinois counties.
Tag: farmers
First climate monitoring station in Coles County begins collecting climate and weather data
The latest climate monitoring station in Illinois is in Coles County, and researchers with Prairie Research Institute have plans to expand the network even more.
How one program is working to bring Corn Belt farmers together for conservation agriculture
Corn Belt farmers are in the midst of multiple crises.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Illinois farmers ease critical labor shortages through this agricultural visa program
The H-2A visa has become a lifeline for farmers who can’t find enough domestic workers.
War with Iran disrupts fertilizer supply for Kansas farmers, right as planting season begins
Gulf states are major fertilizer producers, and the war with Iran has triggered a 25% price hike just as struggling U.S. farmers are planting corn.
‘Cow vision’ goggles let farmers see the world on four hooves – and may improve animal welfare
A Wisconsin university is using augmented reality to show staff from meat processing plants and farmers what it’s like to look through the eyes of livestock.
ADM, American Farmland Trust partnership aims to support struggling farmers in Midwest
A new partnership between Archer-Daniels-Midland and American Farmland Trust aims to build resilience in farmers.
USDA lost 24,000 workers under Trump, hurting critical resources for farmers
The Trump administration’s federal workforce cuts shrunk U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies that inspect produce, provide conservation resources and collect data on crops and livestock.
More U.S. farmers would be eligible for federal loans under new bipartisan bill
A bipartisan bill would expand the eligibility requirements for applicants.
A tick bite made this rancher allergic to her own cattle. It’s a worsening issue for farmers
Alpha-gal syndrome, a tickborne allergy to red meat and dairy, has become more common in the last few years.