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Iran, Fertilizer, Diesel Fuel, and a farmdoc Webinar

  • March 21, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

A series of targeted strikes on critical oil and natural gas facilities across the Middle East has ignited fears of a global supply chain crisis, threatening both worldwide energy stability and the spring agricultural planting season.
During the middle of March, Iranian forces launched attacks against a Saudi Arabian oil facility on the Red Sea and oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. In a separate, direct retaliation for an earlier Israeli raid on the South Pars gas field,…

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Cost-Effective Strategies for Tackling Crop Residue

  • March 16, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

As corn yields continue to climb across the Midwest, farmers are facing a growing operational challenge: managing the massive amounts of crop residue left behind after the combine rolls through.
In a recent webinar hosted by the Illinois Soybean Association, University of Illinois Crop Scientist Connor Sible detailed multi-layered strategies for breaking down crop residue, ensuring that fields are clean, healthy, and ready for spring planting.
Speaking with University of Illinois Extension’s Todd Gleason, Sible emphasized that residue management is a critical issue across all farming systems,…

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Mar 13 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • March 13, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

We had a very warm and active weather week that reminded us that we are in spring. Average temperatures this week ranged from the mid-40s in northern Illinois to the low 60s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 16 degrees above normal. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 86 degrees in Jacksonville, which was the warmest March temperature on record there since 1986. Peoria hit 83 degrees this week, which is the earliest 80 degree high on record there.…

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WEBINAR TUESDAY | Maximize the Value of Your Residue

  • March 9, 2026
  • Todd Gleason


 
 
 
 
Funded by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board
Speakers:
Dr. Connor Sible – Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Ava Isaacs – Master’s Student in the Crop Physiology Lab at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Whether you no-till, cover crop, double crop, or simply have higher yields today than a decade ago, you’ve got residue in your field.…

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Mar 06 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • March 6, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

This week marked a quick transition to spring weather, just as the calendar turned over to March. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low 30s in northern Illinois to the high 40s in southern Illinois, between 1 and 6 degrees above average. Many places saw high temperatures reach into the 70s, including highs of 77 in Cahokia Heights and 74 in Springfield. This follows the month of February that was right around 1 degree warmer than normal statewide,…

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Feb 27 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • February 27, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

Temperatures were all over the place this week, as is common for late February. Overall, average temperatures were 1 to 3 degrees warmer than average in northeast Illinois, and within 1 degree of average everywhere else. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 74 in Flora and 72 in Carbondale, while nighttime low temperatures dipped as far as 10 degrees in Galesburg and Quincy. February will likely end 2 to 3 degrees warmer than normal statewide in Illinois,…

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USDA Ag Outlook Forum Acreage Figures

  • February 19, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

USDA this morning released its Agricultural Outlook Forum acreage, yield and production numbers. These are widely anticipated by the trade and will be incorporated into the May WASDE (World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates) for corn and soybeans. The May WASDE includes the first official set of supply and demand tables for the new crop year.
USDA expects a slight decline in total acreage across wheat, corn, and soybean to 224 million (down ~1%). This number assumes a normal level of prevent plant acres and a modest expansion in the Conservation Reserve Program.…

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All Day Ag Outlook Conference March 3 at the Beef House

  • February 13, 2026
  • Todd Gleason


The 36th annual All Day Ag Outlook will be held Tuesday, March 3, at the Beef House in Covington, Indiana. Join the WILLAg analysts and the farmdoc team for the day. We’ll cover the basics this year, including the markets, weather, weeds, trade, competition, land values, and crop insurance decisions. Click the registration link for complete details.
Doors open at 7:30 a.m. central / 8:30 a.m. eastern and include both coffee and rolls in the morning and a Beef House lunch.…

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Feb 06 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • February 6, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

We had another cold and mostly dry week across the state. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low teens in northern Illinois to the high 20s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 18 degrees below average. A healthy snowpack in the southern half of the state helped push nighttime low temperatures well below 0, including lows of 7 below in Taylorville and 4 below in Jerseyville. The cold end to January pushed the month as a whole to be around 2 degrees below normal statewide.…

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Jan 23 | Weather Update and Market Review

  • January 23, 2026
  • Todd Gleason

Winter has come back with a vengeance after a temporary pause. Average temperatures this week ranged from the low teens in northern Illinois to the mid-20s in southern Illinois, between 4 and 8 degrees below normal statewide. Nighttime low temperatures this week regularly dipped into the single digits, if not below zero, including -5 degrees in Rockford and -2 in Aurora. The wind was also a factor, pushing wind chill values close to -20 on a few days.…

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