The Stillman Valley High School Agriculture Department was highlighted as the feature story in the Fall 2025 Volume 2, Issue 1 of Prairie Career Advocate.

The Forreston FFA Chapter is gearing up for its annual Test Plot Dinner and Awards Night on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, and they’re inviting the community to join the fun.

From FarmWeek: A combination of challenges on U.S. farms has pushed turkey prices higher as the calendar nears Thanksgiving, with wholesale prices up about 40%.

Oregon twin brothers have learned early in life that caring for cows goes a long way, and it's helped them nearly 25 years later achieve success in cattle raising.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has told states it will not fund November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits unless the Trump administration and Congress reach an agreement to reopen the government

The 2025 Ogle County Farm Stroll on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, invited the public to explore the heart of local agriculture, with 10 farms across the county opening their gates for a day of education, connection and countryside charm.

A grain bin holding approximately 30,000 bushels of soybeans collapsed Wednesday afternoon in Martinton.

A ranch that raises goats was just one of the stops on the Ogle County Farm Stroll on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. The self-guided event was organized by the Illinois Extension and featured 10 stops.

Tiring of weak tires? A Fulton tire shop can help make those needed repairs to get the farming routines back on schedule.

The Brass Family Farm in Stillman Valley raises and sells grass-fed beef on its pasture, and will share the benefits of it during its annual Pasture Walk on Oct. 18 at the farm.

Timely rains and plenty of sunshine are delivering what could be a record Kankakee County corn and soybean harvest this autumn.

The beloved Ogle County Farm Stroll is back for another year of hands-on agricultural adventure and local flavor. Mark your calendars for Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, and prepare to explore the heart of rural Illinois.

There are between 20 and 40 grain entrapment incidents annually in the U.S.

On Sept. 4 and 5, 446 Ogle and Carroll County fourth and fifth graders gathered for the 23rd annual Ag Awareness Days at the Ogle County Fairgrounds to learn about modern agriculture and its influences on daily living.

Harvest began for Ogle County farmers in mid-September, Ogle County Farm Bureau Manager Ron Kern said Sept. 25, 2025.

At Sterling High School, students in the agriculture program are not just learning about crops and machinery – they are gaining hands-on experience with animals and plants, building skills that could shape future careers or even help them manage their own gardens and pets.

Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, will be a day with many farms to stroll around throughout Ogle County, with farmers showing their farms, practices, products and antiques to help educate visitors on food sources and the life of a hard day's work.

On Sept. 4 and 5, 446 Ogle and Carroll County fourth and fifth graders descended on the Ogle County Fairgrounds to learn about modern agriculture and its influences on daily living.

Sterling High School students found themselves wrist-deep in learning, sometimes quite literally, during a recent field trip to Kitzman’s Farm Sanctuary in Dixon.

Join the DeKalb County History Center on Sept. 25 to explore the special relationship between people, animals and the land.

HELLMICH: My appreciation for the beauty and abundance of the Sauk Valley’s natural resources has grown during my 10 years in the area, and I thank our neighbors who dedicate themselves to protecting these resources for our children and grandchildren.

Democratic candidates vying for outgoing U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat say tariffs under U.S. President Donald Trump has hurt small businesses and farmers.

Stillman Valley's Theresa Miller currently has three giant pumpkins growing in advance of a competition on Sept. 27: Patches, Dimples and Roxanne. She believes Patches, the largest of the three, is currently nearing 1,700 pounds and hopes to see more growth.

Paid to Stay: In some of the most flood- and drought-prone parts of the country, subsidies are keeping farmers on land that is no longer productive.

Leaf River Soaring Eagles 4-H Club members were busy being judged and working at the Ogle County Fair this year.

A Chadwick couple's labor of love and Earth has given area veggie and fruit lovers a fresh product for their meals.

Illinois Valley Community College held a groundbreaking of a new Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Education building on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby. The college received a one-million dollar donation from the Wisgoski family. The new building will not only provide physical spaces that reflect the program’s growth, innovation, and capabilities, but the IVCC Agricultural Education Center will also serve as a focal point for agricultural industry activities within the community. The building will take one-year to complete.

The future of agriculture drones, can it replace the crop duster?

In July, Farm Foundation celebrated the leadership of outgoing board chair, Dan Basse, president of AgResource, and welcomed its new chair, Cheri De Jong, owner of AgriVision Farm Management.

The pastor at a rural Sterling church is seeking to make its annual Farm Heritage Show just like how the church acts as a beacon of light to the community: helping those in need become mentally healthy and hungry.

The risk to aerial applicators was magnified last month with four crashes within eight days in Illinois, one of them an applicator plane crash near the Ogle County Airport in Mt. Morris along Illinois Route 64. The 23-year-old pilot died in the crash.

Individuals will be selected based on receipt of the highest bid per ton that is harvested.

The Conservation Foundation’s Dickson-Murst Farm in Montgomery is hosting a free Day at the Farm event Aug. 17.

As the Kankakee County Fair closes its gates on Sunday night, one thing could be said with certainty - families from near and far found enjoyment at the fairgrounds.

When a photo opportunity knocks, a Dixon photographer opens the barn door to find the grit and determination that tells the stories of farmers and their families

Sheep, beef, and dairy cows took centerstage at the Ogle County 4-H Fair in Oregon on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

The Kankakee County Fair opens its five-day run this Wednesday. The annual celebration of all things agriculture runs through Sunday.

Antique farm equipment in a rainbow of colors from original rust to shiny yellow and green filled the show grounds from July 25-27, 2025, on the Bos Brothers Historical Farm, located on Springhill Road south of Erie.

While old-time wheat threshing was the main dish at the Bos Bros Fall Harvest Show from July 25-27 near Erie, broom making, blacksmithing, basket weaving and other “hands on” historical skills were all on the menu.

Old-time wheat threshing was the big event at the Bos Bros Fall Harvest's old-fashioned threshing bee south of Erie from July 25-27, 2025.

Grassland CRP, offered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices, according to a news release from the Carroll County FSA.

The event, which will feature bounce houses, face painting, and, of course, sweet corn, will be from 4-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, at 9317 state Route 84, Savanna.

See local 4-H club members in action with their animals and experience the wide array of displays and presentations

The Foundation will offer soft-serve ice cream, flurries, sundaes and root beer floats from Aug. 5 to 9, 2025, during the Carroll County Fair.

Plans for another data center have sprouted in Yorkville’s agriculture fields. A 130-acre data center campus is being proposed south of Corneils Road and east of Beecher Road.

Agricultural producers who suffered eligible crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 can now apply for $16 billion in assistance through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.

Hemp has become the subject of heated debate in Illinois and elsewhere as the plant has been increasingly used to create synthetic products with intoxicating compounds not regulated by the federal government.

Antique farm machinery in a spectrum of colors and styles will descend again on the Bos Brothers Historical Farm, located on Springhill Road south of Erie, for the 10th anniversary show Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 25-27, 2025. Show hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

It is a heavy year for prevent plant crop insurance claims as some farmers, especially in southern Illinois, struggled to find a planting window as the calendar neared July.

Families celebrating the Fourth of July will still face high grocery bills, with prices down an average of just 30 cents from last year’s record, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2025 marketbasket survey.