The White House has asked Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley’s office for input on the administration’s latest proposal to boost the ethanol market in 2020, after a flurry of conversations between President Donald Trump and corn-state advocates critical of the plan. The White House request shows the Trump administration may be having second thoughts about the proposal. (Reuters)

The White House has asked Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley’s office for input on the administration’s latest proposal to boost the ethanol market in 2020, after a flurry of conversations between President Donald Trump and corn-state advocates critical of the plan. The White House request shows the Trump administration may be having second thoughts about the proposal. (Reuters

Illinois reaps the benefit of state and local governments joined by a network of stakeholders to reduce nutrient losses in Illinois waterways, according to Lauren Lurkins, Illinois Farm Bureau director of environmental policy. (FarmWeekNow)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers on Friday not to eat any romaine lettuce from Salinas, Calif., after at least 40 cases of E. coli infection nationwide, including one case in Illinois, were linked to contaminated products from that region. (New York Times

U.S. farmland prices have neither skyrocketed nor fallen back to earth since reaching record levels in 2013-14. Instead, land values, much like the U.S. economy in general, seem to be stuck in a holding pattern as forces pull the market in different directions. (FarmWeekNow)

As we gather around our tables this holiday season, America’s farmers and ranchers have good reason to be thankful and to hope. Thanksgiving began on the farm, and I can’t think of a more fitting place for the roots of hope and gratitude to take hold. Yes, we have faced—and continue to face—hard times, but we don’t reserve gratitude only for the easy times. (Farm Bureau)