Farm Family Life

It took just short of four weeks for Dan Parker to finally get the last seed in the ground.

Farm dogs take on important jobs, pitching in and lifting spirits. That’s why Farm Bureau is a proud partner with Nestlé Purina PetCare on the Farm Dog of the Year contest for the eighth year in a row.

Although most people think that asthma causes wheezing, cough is a very common symptom of asthma.

The phrase, “Stop, Look, Listen,” comes from the 1800s, specifically from the advent of railroads.

Convenience versus safety — sometimes it’s impossible to have both when it comes to tech devices.

A shortage of mental health providers is one of the factors that makes it difficult for those living in rural areas to get the help they need.

Women involved in the agricultural industry are generally expected to live a triple-duty lifestyle that can lead to depression and anxiety.

Although Illinois Farm Bureau has worked to provide mental health and awareness resources to its members for several years, the statewide group is focused on expanding that commitment.

For several years, I have used this column to offer up some nuggets of advice for those newly minted graduates and others willing to accept it.

The Dave and Donna Scanlon family was proud to receive the Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of more than 100 years of agricultural heritage.

The Riskedal family uses regenerative agricultural practices on their farm where they grow corn, soybeans and wheat along with feeding cattle for a freezer beef enterprise.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is the independent voice for businesses across the state.

Farmer Dan Glessing isn’t ready to get too upset over President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

As planting season rolls on, southern Indiana From the Fields contributor Mindy Orschell shared an update on farm life with AgriNews.

I’ve sat in my fair share of coffee shops, airplane terminals, restaurants, FFA chapters and convention halls this year, and it has continued to remind me that we find joy in the people around us.

This is the first in a series of columns featuring conversations with state Farm Bureau presidents about current issues in agriculture.

The mill has been busy. We have received a lot of new fiber orders and working through the ones already had.

Jim and I traveled back home to join family and friends for the funeral services for my husband’s uncle.

As farmers, we usually start the day with a full list of things to get done. No matter how hard we try to do it all ourselves, our work is always made better with more hands pitching in.

There are good days and bad days — and Wednesday was the latter at Ropp Jersey Cheese.

Bigeminy, more precisely ventricular bigeminy, is a term most people probably haven’t heard of, but most people have heard of a premature ventricular contraction. Ventricular bigeminy is when every other beat is a PVC and alternates with regular beats.

High school athletes and teams representing schools from across the state are set to participate at Illinois State High School Clay Target League State Tournaments in June.

Saying we’re facing uncertainty in rural America is an understatement. We’re in the midst of a seismic shift — a true paradigm shift.

Planting season went smoothly for Craig Swartz and his father, Gary, and was wrapped up in record fashion.

Asparagus isn’t the most common vegetable among home gardeners, and that’s likely because growing it is an exercise in patience.

Garden gnomes are some of the most popular garden decorations and have been since the 1800s. They were first made in Thuringia, Germany, a region known for its ceramics.

Mental fitness is a personal understanding that individuals have the ability to build a happier and more productive life.

I don’t care if someone wants to call me a senior as long as they’re willing to help me by reaching for the item on the high shelf at the grocery store.

A lot of growth has occurred in the agricultural department at Peotone High School since Abby Cowger started teaching and advising the FFA chapter in 2018.

I have 100 acres of corn left to plant and maybe 80 acres of beans left. We’ve really been hitting it hard.

AgriNews is happy to welcome back Clay Geyer as northern Indiana’s From the Fields contributor for 2025.

The theme of the 2025 Indiana State Fair is “The Soundtrack of Summer” presented by Get Prepared Indiana.

May is National Beef Month, a month-long celebration to kick off the unofficial start of summer grilling season and, of course, promote America’s favorite protein — beef.

Arroz con Pollo translates to “Rice with Chicken” in Spanish, but it’s so much more than that.

Janna Morgan is the fifth generation of teachers in her family.

Golden Owl Award finalist Kenna Slough was inspired to be an agricultural educator for a combination of reasons.

Chris Kaufman has been teaching agriculture for 24 years, but he remembers when life looked very different.

An example of how nature and agriculture can coexist to benefit crop production, water quality and habitat preservation was among the stops during the recent From Farm to Filtration: A Tour of Conservation in Action.

Corn and soybeans are planted at the same time on the Henert farm.

It seems that there’s one recall after the other lately, mostly for our foods. To stay safe with what we eat, we need to keep an eye on those recalls.

Scombroid is the most common foodborne illness from seafood.

A charm bracelet can be a thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day. Historically, bracelets have been linked to motherhood and family.

On any given day, Dan Parker could be advocating for agriculture with legislators, helping his daughters with 4-H projects, supporting the local FFA chapter, selling seed, or working on the farm.

Nancy Dinelli-Prill, 90, passed away on April 26. She wrote a column for AgriNews, sharing her Italian roots and relating how a city girl learned to help “The Farmer.”

Women have the capability to be the voice of reason when it comes to safety in the agricultural industry.

As more than 1,000 FFA members and their teachers visited the Statehouse, a longtime advocate for those wearing the blue jackets reminisced about how the organization impacted his life.

On my family’s farm, we achieve Earth Day objectives throughout the year, guided by respect for the blessings natural resources provide. We must conserve and protect natural resources to grow food and sustain our farm for future generations.

Meet Mindy Orschell, AgriNews’ new From the Fields contributor in southern Indiana.

With over 90% of the business wholesale, nearly every day is delivery day for Ken Ropp. “I spend a majority of the time on the road,” said the Ropp Jersey Cheese proprietor.

I’d thought I could identify an internet scam when it showed up, but there’s a new one out now. It’s slick and potentially dangerous if you fall for it.