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Weekly Climate Review & Weather Forecast

  • June 28, 2024

Our hot summer continued this week, albeit with some well deserved breaks. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 70s in northern Illinois to the low 80s in southern Illinois, between 2 and 5 degrees above normal. Most places saw a couple of days with highs in the upper 90s, and a few places broke the 100 degree mark, including Salem, Mount Vernon, and Cahokia Heights. The triple digit high in Salem was only the 6th on record for June there,…

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Flash Droughts and Evapotranspiration

  • June 19, 2024

The high temperatures across the corn belt, coupled with the lack of rainfall in some of the states east of the Mississippi River has farmers concerned. Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford has this explanation of evapotranspiration under high temperature and high humidity conditions.…

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Farmer Age: Not a Problem, But an Opportunity

  • May 22, 2024

Carl Zulauf, an agricultural economist emeritus from The Ohio State University, recently spoke with Todd Gleason University of Illinois Extension farm broadcaster about the age of U.S. farmers.
Zulauf’s farmdoc Daily article, titled “Age of U.S. Farmers: Not a Problem” challenges the common perception that an aging farmer population signifies trouble for American agriculture.
Dispelling the Myth of a Farmer Aging Crisis
Zulauf acknowledges that farmers are, on average, older than the general population.…

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Crop Insurance Information from the farmdoc Team

  • March 8, 2024

The following is a series of crop insurance links related to information produced by the University of Illinois agricultural economist since March 1. You may find them useful in making crop insurance decisions. The first is a webinar the team hosted in which Bruce Sherrick and Nick Paulson detail both crop insurance and farm safety net (ARC/PLC) decisions.

The above webinar was aired on Monday of this past week. Tuesday the team posted an article titled “…

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ILLINOIS has it going on at the Farm Progress Show

  • August 28, 2023

We invite you to visit the University of Illinois tent at the 2023 Farm Progress Show in Decatur. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week Illinois Extension and the College of ACES will be on-site at the nation’s largest outdoor agricultural event. Our tent is located at the corner of 3rd and West or just about two blocks to the right of the Main Gate as you enter the grounds.
This Google Maps link will make it easy for you to find walking directions to the U of I tent from anywhere on the grounds or even to drive to the Farm Progress Show site.…

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University of Illinois Extension Strategic Planning Survey

  • July 28, 2023

We invite you to engage in our University of Illinois Extension strategic planning process that will continue into the 2024 calendar year. 
As part of our efforts, we have created a survey that focuses on supporting Phases 1 and 2 of the planning process: 1) Assessing Our Current State and Engaging Stakeholders, and 2) Developing Our Vision and Strategic Priorities. We welcome and greatly appreciate your participation in completing the survey.  
All submissions should be submitted via the online survey,…

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An Analysis of the Proposed 4% Farmer-Premium Payment Cap

  • July 7, 2023


Welcome to 5-Minute Farmdoc, your go-to channel for insightful discussions on various topics related to agriculture. In today’s episode, we delve into the world of crop insurance and explore a recent proposal discussed by our colleagues from North Dakota. They suggest a change to the subsidy mechanism that assists farmers in covering the costs of crop insurance policies. This proposal aims to cap the farmer’s premium costs at 4% of the policy’s liability,…

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Corn Rootworm Bt Resistance Webinar Today at 11am

  • March 30, 2023

Register for today’s 11am central Webinar
Bt Resistance and Management Recommendations for Illinois
REGISTER NOW
Corn rootworm remains the most economically damaging insect pest of corn in Illinois, though its impact in recent years has primarily been felt in the northern third of the state. The ongoing development of resistance to Bt traits has complicated management decisions for Illinois farmers. Join University of Illinois scientists to discuss the status of rootworm populations and Bt resistance throughout Illinois,…

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Listen to the All Day Ag Outlook Presentations

  • March 12, 2023

March 7, 2023  University of Illinois Extension hosted a farmer conference at the Beef House in Covington, Indiana. The All Day Ag Outlook has been held annually since 1991. This year’s event showcased U of I College of ACES farmdoc team members, WILLAg On Air market analysts, the Illinois FBFM, agricultural weather, and John Deere computer intelligence. We are hopeful you find the linked audio presentations from the day insightful. These files have been compiled into a single playlist which you may use to review or share the content.…

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Safety Nets from Crop Insurance in 2023

  • March 12, 2023

Link to Original farmdocDaily Article
The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has released 2023 projected prices for crop insurance. For Illinois and most Midwest states, projected prices are $5.91 per bushel for corn and $13.76 for soybeans. Those projected prices are some of the highest in history and will provide solid safety nets. Still, many operations will face losses before crop insurance guarantees make payments.
Listen to a March 2 interview with University of Illinois ag economist Gary Schnitkey and Nick Paulson about ARC/PLC and crop insurance decisions.

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