Agriculture

Farmers are hopeful this season for good crops in the fall.

Peoria Ag Lab scientists are introducing their latest invention: a new and improved kitty litter.

One of western Illinois' largest employers is shutting down after a "small portion" of its 1,700-strong workforce tested positive for COVID-19.

The Monmouth Smithfield Foods plans produces about three percent of the country's fresh pork products. It also makes bacon.

At least two Rock Island County residents and one Warren County resident who worked at the plant tested positive for the virus on April 17. Further cases at the plant haven't been disclosed since then. Warren County has reported 45 positive cases since April 10.

The second season of legal hemp growing is coming in Illinois. State experts are sharing what they know — and don’t — as more people express interest in growing it.

A University of Illinois farm economist painted the picture of just how bad 2019's wet weather was for the agricultural community.

Illinois is still two centuries away from hitting towards its goal of planting enough cover crops to make a significant dent in its nutrient pollution problem in waterways. 

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin wants the federal government to increase funding for scientific research by five percent each year.

The early snowfall this year is another frustration for farmers who have faced down difficult weather all year. 

Farmers across Illinois are still feeling the effects of historic spring rains that caused severe delays in planting.

Illinois corn farmers are on track to see their worst yields in more than 20 years. 

Illinois farmers have planted less than half of their corn crop this year because of frequent spring rain. Usually they are done by now.

Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration is set to release $5 million to fund the state's soil and water conservation districts for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

The money is much less than the $13.5 million which lawmakers appropriated for the 96 county-based offices. But Rauner spokeswoman Rachel Bold said the Republican governor is trying to manage spending because the budget the Legislature adopted has a deficit.

President Donald Trump has proposed a 33 percent cut to the crop insurance program. That has left area farmers concerned about their ability to weather any storms that could damage their crops. A group of farmers gathered at the Peoria County Farm Bureau Monday and told U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth crop insurance not only should be kept at current levels, it should be expanded to dairy farmers.

Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs has announced a new $500-million program that will help farmers, homeowners and employees in rural parts of the state get access to low-interest loans. Speaking on Illinois Public Media’s daily news talk show The 21st on Tuesday, Frerichs said predatory lending is not just a problem in urban areas.

Governor Bruce Rauner has declared a “harvest emergency” across Illinois.

The designation means trucks carrying grain can exceed weight limits by 10 percent. State Agriculture Director Raymond Poe says it should help farmers get their product to market more efficiently.

Poe says it could help farmers move as much as 70 more acres per day.
Wet weather earlier this year delayed planting in parts of the state, which in turn delays the harvest. That’s led to congestion at grain elevators.

Ten agriculture-related projects that are looking for way to expand the availability of fresh, locally-grown produce in Illinois will be sharing $550,000.

Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has outlined more than $200 million in cuts it wants to make to Illinois' new budget, including to human services, agriculture programs and transportation.

Agriculture experts say pumpkin crops in central Illinois are still recovering, but improving two years after heavy rain decimated area yields.

Officials say they're changing mowing routes along interstates to help protect dwindling populations of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators.  Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn says the agency is one of the state's biggest landowners and has a responsibility to "act as steward of the environment."

There’s one piece of legislation that seems to be getting broad bipartisan support in Springfield.

Two Illinois lawmakers have proposed a plan to offer tax credits to biotechnology businesses in hopes of boosting agricultural jobs in central Illinois.  The legislation, introduced by Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet and Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill, would provide incentives to produce and sell new renewable products made from biomass and other renewable sources.

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Production Report is out. The President of the Illinois Corn Growers Association says it’s worth farmers excitement to see the considerable increases in exports coupled with increases in feed and ethanol uses.

Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that reducing the number of leaves on soybean plants can increase crop yield by eight percent.  In replicated trials on the Urbana campus, researchers removed up to one third of the emerging leaves on soybeans to boost yield.

Project lead Praveen Kumar, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the U of I,  says producing more food without using more land is vital.

“We are probably maxed out in terms of available arable lands, so we really need a different strategy to increase productivity.”