Agriculture News

Lawmakers in the Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill to raise the statewide minimum wage to $15 by Jan. 1, 2025. The bill now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who made clear his desire to pass a minimum wage increase before delivering his first budget address on Feb. 20. (Illinois Policy.org)

For many farmers and fertilizer applications, an early start to spring-like conditions would make all the difference in the world this growing season. Applications of ammonia last fall were limited by weather challenges and farmers and applicators face the prospect of catching up on some of the “most laborious work that needs to be done.”… read more

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said Thursday’s release of a new draft Clean Water Rule is a major step toward fair and understandable water regulation on America’s farms and ranches and other working lands. “We haven’t yet examined every word of today’s proposal, but even a quick look shows many of the previous rule’s… read more

The USDA is giving funding priority in a key grant program for applications to address opioid misuse in rural communities. “The opioid epidemic is dramatically impacting prosperity in many small towns and rural places across the country,” Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett said. “With this focused investment, we are targeting our… read more

Talks between China and the U.S. to resolve their trade war will resume next week in Washington, with both sides saying this week’s negotiations in Beijing made progress. The White House stood by its March 1 deadline for reaching a deal or raising tariffs on certain Chinese goods, despite President Donald Trump having said he… read more

INTERSTATE COMMERCE DEFINITION JAMMED WITH DETAILS – Whether your farm truck engages in interstate commerce involves much more than just whether you drive it outside Illinois. Today, a vast majority of Illinois farmers find their trucking operations subject to both the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Unified Carrier Registration. (FarmWeekNow.com)  

SUPPLEMENTAL COVERAGE OPTION: AN INSURANCE OPTION AVAILABLE TO MORE FARMERS – Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) introduced in the 2014 Farm Bill was limited to areas where Price Loss Coverage (PLC) was the commodity title program choice. More farmers likely will be choosing PLC for the 2019 and 2020 marketing years, leading to more acres being… read more

FEB. 14 DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR MARKET FACILTIATION PROGRAM – Farmers and ranchers have until Feb. 14 to sign up for the Agriculture Department’s Market Facilitation Program. Eligible farmers and ranchers are those whose commodities have been directly impacted by unjustified foreign retaliatory tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional export markets. The program… read more

CHEAPER GASOLINE RESTRAINS U.S. CONSUMER PRICES – U.S. consumer prices were unchanged for a third straight month in January, leading to the smallest annual increase in inflation in more than 1 ½ years, which could allow the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady for a while. The Labor Department said Wednesday its Consumer Price… read more

COURT GRANTS EPA NEW HEARING ON PESTICIDE BAN – The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will reconsider outlawing chlorpyrifos, a pesticide banned last August, but that farm groups say is vital to food production. A new hearing, seen as a victory for the EPA, as well as farm groups, will be set for late… read more