In recognition of Mental Health Month AFBF has launched a comprehensive, easy-to-use online directory of resources for farmers, ranchers, and their families who are experiencing stress and mental health challenges. (KX News)

For Cook County Farm Bureau President Janet McCabe, nursing and farming connect more often than one might think. (The Pantagraph)  

Get ready to check out some of the amazing products Illinois has to offer at this year’s Illinois Products Farmers’ Market. The official opening for the season is from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 13 at “The Shed” on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. (News Channel 20)  

U.S. major corn and soybean-producing states race ahead of averages to get the crops in the ground. Emergence of crops is ahead of five-year averages, according to the USDA Crop Progress Report. (Successful Farming)  

A professor at Northern Illinois University has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to continue his research into severe weather forecasts. Victor Gensini, associate professor and deputy director of the NIU Center for Research Computing and Data, said he believes his model could forecast tornado and hail-producing storms at least two weeks in advance. (The Center Square

The downward spiral of family farms lost to large corporate agricultural operations may be turning around as family farming takes on a new twist. On what was once a 65-acre corn farm in Beecher, Tulip Tree Gardens operates a charming farm stand at 1236 E. Eagle Lake Road. (Chicago Tribune)