News Archives - farmdoc

Fertilizer and Fuel Risks as a Result of the Iran Conflict

March 27, 2026
Todd Gleason

How is the ongoing conflict in Iran impacting global agriculture? In this farmdoc daily webinar, University of Illinois agricultural economists Nick Paulson and Gary Schnitkey are joined by industry experts to break down the recent spikes in fertilizer and fuel prices.
The panel discusses the immediate effects on the 2026 crop year, the critical differences between this market shock and the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, and what decreased input affordability means for farmer profitability heading into 2027.…

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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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An Illinois Crop Progress Conversation

July 5, 2025
Todd Gleason

* Tools to Manage Tar Spot
* Illinois Soft Red Winter Wheat Harvest & Quality
* Corn and Soybean Update
* WILLAg Closing Market Report and Commodity Week

The Closing Market Report podcast player should open to the spot where the Illinois Field Crops discussion begins, or about six minutes into the program.
Tools to Manage Tar Spot
There is a new online tool farmers and retailers may use to help track,…

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Small Grains Field Fest Friday @ Riggs Beer

May 20, 2025
Todd Gleason

Small grains field fest invite on blue background with orange and white accents. Event Date: May 23, 2025
Event Time: 3:00 – 6:00 PM
Location: Riggs Beer Company
1901 South High Cross Rd. Urbana, IL
Join us for a mix of learning and happy hour at Riggs Beer Company located at 1901 South High Cross Rd. Urbana, IL. This event is for anyone curious about small grains, including wheat, barley, rye, triticale, oats, and kernza. Demonstration plots are located on-site next to the brewery. The small grains breeder from Virginia will be joining us as a special guest to talk about barley varieties adapted to Illinois.…

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$15M of EQIP Funding Available – Deadline Friday

February 27, 2025
Todd Gleason

The Illinois Corn Growers Association and the Illinois Department of Agriculture received a special allocation of EQIP funding. This allocation was not tied to the Inflation Reduction Act and is not impacted by any freezes, but the catch is farmers need to work with their local NRCS office by FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28th.
The two were able to bring $15M into Illinois to address the Dust Storms and Nutrient Loss Reduction efforts. Ranking for these funds will be elevated if your farm is in either the defined Dust Storm Region or a priority nitrogen or phosphorus watershed.…

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Crop Insurance Information from the farmdoc Team

March 8, 2024
Todd Gleason

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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Coming soon… CropFlix! Your 2021 Virtual Crop Management Conference

January 5, 2021
Chelsea Harbach

Registration is now open for CropFlix, the virtual iteration of the 2021 Illinois Crop Management Conference.
CropFlix will provide you with binge-worthy content that is accessible right on your computer, tablet, or mobile device. CropFlix will be available on the Learn @ Illinois Extension platform, the same platform on which the Pesticide Safety Education Program’s online version is using.
All of the content for CropFlix will be available starting February 1 through February 28.…

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2019 Applied Research Results, Field Crop Disease and Insect Management now available

January 7, 2020
Nick Seiter

The 2019 edition of our annual report on applied research in field crop disease and insect management can be downloaded at the following link: https://uofi.box.com/v/2019PestPathogenARB

Each year, University of Illinois plant pathologists and entomologists produce a summary of the applied research we have conducted to inform disease and insect management practices in Illinois. This information provides a non-biased, third-party evaluation of control tactics such as pesticides and resistant varieties for use in corn,…

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UIUC Field Crop Extension Conferences- Sign up today!

December 19, 2019
Nathan Kleczewski

What do you need to know for the 2020 growing season? The University of Illinois will address several key topics at four regional conferences around the state in January and February. The meetings will provide a forum for discussion and interaction between participants, University of Illinois researchers, and Extension educators.
Conference dates and locations are:
Jan. 22 DoubleTree by Hilton, Mount Vernon
Jan. 29 Brookens Auditorium at University of Illinois, Springfield
Feb.…

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RSVP for the Champaign Pest and Pathogen Field Day!

July 5, 2019
Nathan Kleczewski

Come to Champaign, Illinois on July 22nd for the first annual field crop Pest and Pathogen Field Day from 9am-noon. Registration, doughnuts, and coffee will start at 8:30 am. Parking for the event will be available at the Agricultural and Biological Engineering farm on the UIUC South Farm Facility, located at 3603 South Race Street, Urbana, IL, 61802. Click HERE to register.
Join us to walk research plots and learn about insect and disease identification in field crops,…

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