Matters relating to agriculture, including farming and agribusiness.

Read more about the article Crop insurance help for tariff fallout could affect upcoming Farm BillDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
A flag waves in front of soybean acres on July 3, 2014.

Crop insurance help for tariff fallout could affect upcoming Farm Bill

Congressional leaders said they would explore federal help for farmers should tariffs be put in place but Tamara Nelson, senior director of commodities for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said the moves would not help. “Farmers don’t want aid, farmers want to be able to trade,” she said.

Continue ReadingCrop insurance help for tariff fallout could affect upcoming Farm Bill
Read more about the article Pesticide applicators report drift issues with dicamba, even when using brand names in good weatherDarrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Dicamba resistant soybeans in rural McLean County on August 7.

Pesticide applicators report drift issues with dicamba, even when using brand names in good weather

More than 100 Illinois pesticide retailers reported the weed killer dicamba drifted and damaged soybeans even when it was sprayed in good conditions, according to a recent industry survey.

Continue ReadingPesticide applicators report drift issues with dicamba, even when using brand names in good weather
Read more about the article Long-time housing for migrant farmworkers closesDarrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Nightingale Camp, a former hospital on the decomissioned Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, sits abandoned. It was once the largest migrant housing camp in the state.

Long-time housing for migrant farmworkers closes

Since 2001, the former hospital on Nightingale Court in Rantoul, Ilinois housed as many as 450 migrant farmworkers and their families to work in the fields in central Illinois. But this year, its owner – Unique Storage Inc. – did not submit a migrant labor camp application for the site, known as Nightingale, according to the state public health department. Instead, housing for the farmworkers was moved elsewhere.

Continue ReadingLong-time housing for migrant farmworkers closes
Read more about the article Damage from dicamba spurs confusion, questionsDarrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Soybeans in a field in rural McLean County on August 7.

Damage from dicamba spurs confusion, questions

In 2016, Monsanto released its dicamba-resistant soybeans in the company’s largest ever rollout of a new biotechnology. But its accompanying herbicide – XtendiMaxTM herbicide with VaporGripTM Technology – was not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency until several months later, leading some farmers to use other versions of the herbicide on their soybeans.

Continue ReadingDamage from dicamba spurs confusion, questions
Read more about the article In wake of new Monsanto seed, Illinois sees more crop damageDarrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Dicamba resistant soybeans in rural McLean County on August 7.

In wake of new Monsanto seed, Illinois sees more crop damage

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has received 368 complaints so far in 2017, which are more alleged pesticide misuse complaints than in the previous three years combined, according to a review of a statewide database of complaints by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.

Continue ReadingIn wake of new Monsanto seed, Illinois sees more crop damage
Read more about the article ‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planningDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Mark Pflugmacher with irrigation equipment at his farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planning

In our “Uncharted Waters” series, The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting took at look at what’s behind the recent spike in irrigation, the lack of regulations around groundwater and stalled water supply planning efforts and the impact this will have on Illinois in the future.

Continue Reading‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planning
Read more about the article Lack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwaterDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Mark Pflugmacher with irrigation equipment at his farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Lack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwater

Almost 1,000 pivots have been installed in counties statewide in the past four years as a result of higher crop prices and the demand of seed corn companies, an almost 20 percent increase in overall irrigation that equals the use of more than half a million people each year.

Continue ReadingLack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwater
Read more about the article Irrigation playing role in water issues across IllinoisDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Irrigation equipment at Mark Pflugmacher's farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Irrigation playing role in water issues across Illinois

While Illinois is not currently facing a water crisis, highly populated areas with high growth — namely Chicagoland and Champaign County — are undergoing…

Continue ReadingIrrigation playing role in water issues across Illinois
Read more about the article Irrigation’s impact on agriculture during the drought of 2012Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Irrigation equipment at Mark Pflugmacher’s farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Irrigation’s impact on agriculture during the drought of 2012

The drought of 2012 was the worst since at least 1988, spanning the entire Corn Belt, from Ohio to Wyoming, and costing the agribusiness industry billions of dollars.

Continue ReadingIrrigation’s impact on agriculture during the drought of 2012