U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in September, leading to the smallest annual increase in nearly three years, which could give the Federal Reserve room to cut interest rates again later this month. (Reuters)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald LaVoy today announced that USDA is investing $152 million in 19 projects to provide or improve rural broadband service in 14 states, including Illinois. “Deploying high-speed broadband internet connectivity, or ‘e-Connectivity,’ in rural America expands access to essential health, educational, social and business opportunities,” LaVoy said. (USDA)

The U.S. and Japan signed a limited trade agreement Monday, a deal that would win back benefits American farmers lost when President Donald Trump pulled out of a broader Asia-Pacific pact his first week in office. U.S. farmers have been operating at a disadvantage in Japan since Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. “This is a huge victory for America’s farmers, ranchers and growers. And that’s very important to me,” Trump said at the signing ceremony. (Associated Press)

The deal includes 5 actions that could support farmers and biofuel production: FarmWeekNow  

IDOA collected over 16,000 pounds of unwanted pesticides at their annual “Clean Sweep” collection event. This year’s event served 12 counties in southwestern Illinois. It included the collection of unwanted or unusable pesticides like DDT, chlordane, dicamba, and lead arsenate. “Often people inherit farms or have some old s of pesticides on their property and don’t quite know what to do with them. That’s why we started the ‘Clean Sweep’ program in 1990,” said IDOA’s Doug Owens. “It’s a great way to ensure the proper disposal of these pesticides and protects the environment of the state of Illinois.” (WAND)

While typically you might think of October as ‘harvest season’, for farmers the harvest usually starts in Mid-September. But for some farmers in the Tri-States, they’re just getting started pulling corn out of their fields. Farmers harvesting Friday said their noses are to the grindstone while running their combines. Their goal: Trying to get as much out as they can before more rain arrives. (WGEM)