Market conditions matter, but the policy and economic environment can shape how farmers view what comes next.

The Trump administration announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs due to diesel fuel prices.

Eight fertilizer manufacturing projects will receive funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply Program.

Our rural communities are built on generations of people who simply took responsibility. Voting honors that tradition.

Some of the most competitive races in the nation are in farm country, so rural voters will have a major influence on the outcome of the midterm election.

Foreign-held agricultural land grew to 47.2 million acres in 2024, driven mostly by Canadian and European timber and renewable energy interests rather than purchases of working cropland, reports Jim Henry.

Since 2023, America’s farmers and rural communities have been left in limbo without a full, five-year farm bill.

It’s been one year since milk was named the official beverage of high school athletics in Indiana.

While the National FFA Convention and Expo is about learning to be successful leaders, students also have time to just be kids.

Tight margins, rising input costs, shifts in global trading and changing biofuels are all impacting U.S. corn growers.

The price of diesel is hitting record highs just when many U.S. farmers need it to power combines, tractors and other equipment to harvest two of the nation’s largest commodities, soybeans and corn.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is launching the eighth year of its Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program.

R-CALF USA is calling for an immediate federal investigation into the shrinking cattle market and recent major beef plant closures.

Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson has spent the months since his election meeting with members across the state.

A $15 million investment in the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will expand the facility and provide opportunities for new bio-products using corn to scale to commercialization.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes to reallocate 100% of the renewable fuel volume requirements recently waived via 29 small refinery exemptions.

As farmers face mounting economic headwinds and thin profit margins, Indiana Farm Bureau has officially laid out its legislative roadmap for the 2027 General Assembly session, zeroing in on rural investment, tax relief and food system resilience.

It’s time to seriously consider whether we are investing enough in the research and development and market promotion of our industry.

Every cent matters when fuel bills are already stretching farm budgets, so being able to use tax-exempt diesel could make a real difference.

The Farm Service Agency’s Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage will generate approximately $13.8 billion in gross payments to eligible agricultural producers for the 2025 crop year.

Attendance to the Illinois and Du Quoin state fairs exceeded 1 million for the second consecutive year.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order that eases limits on the use of tax-exempt diesel fuel, and Indiana and Illinois governors made similar moves.

Farmers, truckers and economists say a move to cut taxes on diesel will provide little relief from record-high fuel prices that have soared since the United States attacked Iran months ago.

A group of environmental organizations sued the Trump administration over its recent relaxation of key vehicle fuel economy rules, a decision that the group says will make vehicles less efficient, contribute to more pollution and increase gas consumption.

America’s entire cattle industry depends on a market that is disappearing before our eyes: the negotiated cash cattle market.

Beijing and Washington released a tariff-reduction plan covering U.S. crops and dairy, but excluded top-export soybeans, reports Jim Henry.

Legislation to permanently ban the sale of Chinese vehicles in the United States stalled out as senators struggled to seal an agreement, virtually guaranteeing that the bill will have to wait until after the November elections.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced an election will be held on Oct. 28 for two board members in Illinois Wheat Development Board Districts 3 and 6, as well as one statewide at-large board member.

The future is bright for the U.S. dairy industry for several reasons, including the opportunity for dairy exports.

The United States and China released reciprocal lists of nonsensitive products worth about $30 billion each that will see tariff cuts, from American hair products to Chinese toys, in a deal expected to help bolster bilateral trade.

U.S.-Canada relations, already tense, are likely to deteriorate further after the United States went ahead with a decision to ban nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles.

Higher fuel costs are compounding already tight farmer budgets.

Gov. Mike Braun extended the suspension of the collection of gas use tax and gasoline excise tax through harvest season.

State officials nationwide are focusing on rising gas and diesel prices tied to the war in Iran, offering gas tax holidays and other measures to ease costs as affordability remains a top voter concern in the critical midterm elections.

The Trump administration released new fuel economy standards that relax regulatory requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks.

From the outside looking in, the corn looks good. However, yield monitors are telling a different story.

If you're willing to do the legwork and find a solid adviser to help you navigate the system, you can tap into some great new government programs.

While rural voters seem unlikely to support Democrats on a large scale, Trump and the Republican Party could face challenges with them in November.

The Trump administration relied on flawed logic to justify scrapping vehicle emissions standards this year, making errors in how it accounted for fuel savings, the price of technology and mileage, according to a new study by a group of economists.

Animal welfare should be driven by science, not by a patchwork of state-by-state legislation.

Growers recovering from devastating wildfires urgently need support to rebuild.

The market fundamentals that raised beef prices have not gone away — tight cattle supplies and strong consumer demand continue to support higher consumer beef prices, says Jim Henry.

Policy positions for Indiana Farm Bureau in 2027 will include stances on income taxes and data center development, as decided by 236 farmer and agribusiness delegates from across the state.

State agriculture leaders gathered in Maine for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s 2026 annual meeting to discuss key industry challenges and opportunities.

Illinois corn farmers and agricultural professionals have an opportunity to take their leadership and advocacy skills to the nation’s capitol through the GrassRoots Orientation to Washington, D.C. program.

Low-interest physical loss loans for producers are available for those impacted by any of the 12 natural disasters earlier this year in the Midwest.

There’s a reason the U.S. House passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act — and for those of us who live and work in rural America, that reason hits pretty close to home.

Market development and a new farm bill continue to be among the top priorities for the Illinois Soybean Association.

Farmers are feeling better about their financial future, but that optimism has not translated into stronger plans for machinery and building investments.

The farm bill is one of the most significant pieces of legislation affecting food and agriculture.