Farm Families (IFF), Mercer County Farm Bureau Director Chad Bell helped dispel wrong assumptions on raising livestock. The series also earned IFF a silver anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America. LEARN MORE.

While some farmers questioned if or when they’d complete planting, many are relieved to be in the home-stretch. Across the state, 98% of corn and 75% of soybeans were in the ground as of May 31. “Things are going pretty good,” Danny McCrite, president of the Pulaski-Alexander Farm Bureau, told FarmWeek. “We got an inch and a half of rain (Wednesday) night, but just about everybody was caught up.” Find out when he expects to cut harvest his wheat crop.     Read more

Looking to safely dispose of unwanted agrichemicals? A collection of agricultural pesticides has been scheduled in late summer in 10 central Illinois counties at no cost through the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s “Clean Sweep” program Read more

Dr. Mark Ernst, state veterinarian with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, provides an update on avian influenza following the state’s recent announcement to continue enforcing emergency rules to prevent the spread of the disease in this interview with RFD Radio’s Rita Frazer. Listen

Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. shares his thoughts on how American farmers plan to maximize domestic production in this Q&A. “In farming, every new generation must produce more with fewer resources. To accomplish this, we look for ways to repurpose as much as we can, and that includes how crops are grown and livestock is raised,” he said. READ MORE

Last fall, Lucas Roney experimented with planting oats and radishes on his Moultrie County farm, but not all went as planned. With nearly 80% of his planting done and corn emerging, Roney remains optimistic about what the summer will bring Watch