Farmers throughout the Midwest are getting next year’s land leases in order. As Todd Gleason reports, it appears those agreements may be changing just a bit.

The head of a large farm management group in the Midwest is cautioning farmers to watch the expense side of their ledgers very closely. Todd Gleason has more from Champaign, Illinois.

When University of Illinois crop scientist Fred Below began growing tropical maize, the form of corn grown in the tropics, he was looking for novel genes for the utilization of nitrogen fertilizer and was hoping to discover information that could be useful to American corn producers. Now, however, as Todd Gleason Reports, it appears that maize itself may prove to be the ultimate U.S. biofuels crop. 

The price of farmland compared to its capitalized value is very high. As Todd Gleason reports, the last time per acre prices exceeded the capitalized value by so much occurred a few years before the farm crisis of the mid 1980’s.

Fall is the season when Illinois farmers shine. This is truly the case for state’s pumpkin crop. Todd Gleason has more from the number one place for pumpkin production.

As animal housing continues to move toward larger buildings, the research team at the Bioenvironmental and Structural Systems (BESS) Lab at the University of Illinois is working hard to keep up with industry trends. What this means, as Todd Gleason reports, is that the BESS Lab, which is known worldwide for testing livestock ventilation fans, is checking out larger and larger fans.

The price of nitrogen is very high and that means farmers should be very careful when they apply the anhydrous ammonia this fall.

Legislators in Washington D.C. are working on the next version of the Farm Bill. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in July, and now the Senate is working on the measure. Todd Gleason has more on the history of the bill and how it might change this time out.

The Illinois Master Gardener program is some 600 strong in Cook County Illinois. Todd Gleason has more from Palatine. 

Genes are being stacked higher in the corn plant. Todd Gleason has more on how one Land Grant scientist sees the positives and negatives of relying on transgenic technology.

The value of farm land in Illinois is still going up. Todd Gleason has more on recent and past farmland value trends in the prairie state.

The U.S. Senate is working through its version of the 2007 Farm Bill. As Todd Gleason reports, this year’s debate has been more inclusive than those in the past.