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Route 66 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds
Local
2 months ago
‘Miles of Smiles’ this year’s Illinois State Fair theme

“Miles of Smiles” celebrates the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

Nozzle of the tractor sprinklers sprayed. Soybean spraying.
Local
2 months ago
Supreme Court ruling simplifies pesticide labeling for Illinois farmers

“If the U.S. EPA does say it’s cancer-causing, it’s going to go on the label,” Johnson said. “But right now, there is nothing the U.S. EPA has found that says it’s a cancer-causing agent.”

A tractor sits on a Christian County farm. (Capitol News Illinois file photo by Jerry Nowicki)
Local
2 months ago
‘A real farm crisis’: Illinois farm bankruptcies rise for 3rd straight year

Rising land rent, an unstable export market and record farm debt are blamed.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
National
2 months ago
Dozens of states could face new costs because of high error rates in SNAP food aid

Other jurisdictions receiving a one-year, cost-share delay are Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and the District of Columbia.

A scene at the station where SNAP users can swipe their EBT card for Link Match vouchers at the Logan Square Farmers Market in Chicago (Medill Illinois News Bureau photo by Molly A. Wallace)
IL State News
2 months ago
Federal cuts are hitting Illinois food assistance recipients — and the farmers who feed them

Changes to SNAP eligibility are cutting benefits for hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents and hurting small farmers who support them.

Halved peach with bright orange flesh and red pit on a metal platter, surrounded by whole peaches in a still life setting.
Local
2 months ago
Sweet corn, stone fruit and strong opinions: What Instacart orders reveal about Illinois’ summer produce season

Instacart reports on how summer produce preferences in Illinois compare with the rest of the country.

Incobrasa Industries in Gilman, Illinois, is expecting to open its new processing facilities on June 17. (Medill Illinois News Bureau photo by Naomi Taxay)
Agriculture
2 months ago
Illinois bets on biodiesel: Expanding the market for domestic soybeans

A year fraught with trade wars and global oil shocks is testing whether Illinois’ long-running investment in biodiesel is paying off.

UIS
Local
3 months ago
New study raises questions about health risks near industrial waste facilities

Madrigal said her interest in the topic stems from years of cancer research and a desire to better understand environmental factors that may contribute to health disparities.

Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is well known for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue.
Agriculture
3 months ago
New World Screwworm raises concerns for livestock producers, but not food safety

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented several measures to combat the screwworm, including quarantines and increased monitoring in affected areas. When a confirmed case is identified, officials establish a containment zone and intensify eradication efforts.