Jeannine Otto

As the management of the Chicago Bears is getting ready to present plans for the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, a group of harness horse racing devotees is working to make sure the Illinois horse racing and horse breeding industry stays alive.

In a year when expectations, demand and price for soybeans are all high, the Illinois soybean crop may not meet those great expectations everywhere.

For a few days, at least, it’s a waiting game at Wilra Farms, as it is for many farmers across the Midwest facing corn and soybean harvest.

The demand for truck drivers — and especially drivers in the agricultural sector — isn’t going away anytime soon.

A good — not great — corn crop in central and southern Indiana should finish strong, but concerns about late-season disease pressure are top of mind for some producers.

Indiana farmers and their employees who drive their own farm’s semis are exempt from the Entry Level Driver Training regulations that took effect in February.

The advice that Dyneah Classen’s mom gave her, when Classen was still in high school and trying to figure out if she wanted a career as a math teacher or as a veterinarian, paid dividends.

When Mike Grady officially left his office at Dixon High School for the last time on June 10, he traded his office view of the Rock River and Page Drive for a farm field and a tractor cab.

The centennial of the Du Quoin State Fair is being honored in many ways when the fair kicks off, and one of the ways is a slate of significant improvements to the historic Perry County venue that has hosted the fair and many other events, the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.

From its signature event — horse racing — to the fair itself, the Du Quoin State Fair has survived to celebrate 100 years. This year’s event is marking 100 years of being the state fair for southern Illinois in several significant ways.

August is the month when students, from kindergarten through college, typically head back to class. For Nick Harre, who combines teaching and learning as a visiting scholar with Purdue University, the classroom is virtual, year-round and on the farm.

Heavy rains over the last week brought drought relief but some added headaches to southern Illinois.

The people who meet Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Addisyn Calloni as she travels around to county fairs throughout the state would never guess it, but speaking to large groups of people hasn’t always been a favorite thing for Calloni.

Maintaining and enhancing current export markets and working to open a few more are among the top items on the “to-do” list for Maria Zieba, vice president of international affairs for the National Pork Producers Council.

Many factors have played into Steve Linker’s passion for collecting and restoring vintage tractors. But one moment in 2014, captured in a photo, will always be front and center.