McLean County Farm Bureau

Facebook Twitter Envelope

More Farm News:

FarmWeek >

Crop Watchers >

farmdoc Daily >

RSS farmdoc daily
  • Off Base, Part 2: The View from the CBO Baseline
    Release of the CBO Baseline is an annual ritual required by federal budget policy, pursuant to which the Congressional Budget Office projects spending on certain programs ten years into the unknowable future. CBO released its February 2026 baseline ahead of schedule, providing a new look at agricultural policy after enactment of major changes in the […]
  • Projected Incomes on Owned vs Rented Farmland for 2026
    Projections in the latest Illinois Crop Budgets suggest negative returns on cash rented farmland for the 2026 crop year (see farmdoc daily article from January 13, 2026).  This article compares…

Agriculture News

TOMATO TRUCE: U.S. AND MEXICO STRIKE A DEAL ON IMPORTS

August 23, 2019

The U.S. reached a deal to suspend tariffs on tomatoes from Mexico and implement import restrictions demanded by Florida growers to protect their industry. The agreement, which also ends a dumping probe by the Trump administration, is expected to head off calamity for the Mexican tomato export industry, the world’s largest. It’s also likely to avert spikes in prices at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants. (Bloomberg)

Read More »

JAPAN TRADE DEAL COMING SOON, GRASSLEY SAYS

August 21, 2019

Negotiations between the U.S. and Japan are taking place under the radar and should produce an agreement over the next two months, Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley said Tuesday. Grassley and others have said they expect the two countries to first produce a deal in which Japan would lower tariffs on U.S. farm goods that are finding it harder to compete with exporters in the European Union and other Pacific Rim countries that already have trade deals with Japan. (Agri-Pulse)

Read More »

SEASON HIT OR MISS FOR SPECIALTY CROPS IN ILLINOIS

August 21, 2019

Rainy weather and flooding earlier in the planting season has had a mixed impact on specialty-crop farmers this season as they dealt with a saturated ground. For Lynnville farmer Dave Gregory, his is varied for different produce – from onions, sweet corn, peppers, egg plants, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower – depending on where he planted them this year. “A lot of it depended on the location – some spots were wetter than others,” he said. Other specialty farms saw longer growing times as the compacted ground stunted the growth of some of their crops. Despite the rainy start, Gregory said

Read More »

WORKING ON MONARCHS: ILLINOIS HOLDS A CENTRAL ROLE IN BUTTERFLIES

August 21, 2019

Illinois is literally in the center of the area of interest for monarch butterflies and real effort is being made, says a Wednesday Chicago Sun Times story. The Illinois Monarch Project (IMP) and its efforts were featured Monday during an event at University of Illinois Extension. IMP grew out of a summit in September 2016 in Springfield of agriculture, natural-resources and academic groups looking to cooperate and collaborate. There already have been improvements, including how roadside mowing is done by farmers and the Illinois Department of Transportation. Illinois’ Milkweed Goal is to add 150 million new stems of milkweed and

Read More »

ILLINOIS, OTHER STATES, REDUCING NUMBER OF OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS

August 21, 2019

A new report found it is becoming less common for workers to be prescribed painkillers after an on-the-job injury in Illinois. The Workers Compensation Research Institute found the percentage of Illinois workers who received a prescription paid for under workers compensation and received an opioid decreased by eight percentage points, from 51 percent in 2012 to about 44 percent in 2016. The average amount of opioids prescribed decreased by 21 percent. (The Center Square)

Read More »

VARIABILITY CONTINUES TO AFFECT GROWING SEASON

August 21, 2019

One thing that has been consistent with this year’s planting and growing season has been variability, and there are no indications this will end any time soon, says Karl Seltzer, GROWMARK analyst. As a result of delayed planting, this year’s crops are now maturing at an uneven rate and will likely make for a stretched-out harvest season. On one hand, this could set the crops up for additional weather stress, but at the same time, it could ease congestion at terminals this fall. One of the greatest variances this year will be yields. (FarmWeekNow)

Read More »