Illinois
As someone who enjoys technology, Kaden Sweeney says he’s geared toward numbers. New this year, the family operation plans to control the grain cart from the combine for ease and efficiency.
The second USDA Crop Progress Report of the year shows farmers are already ahead in planting the 2024 crop with six states pacing ahead of the five-year average.
As Mary Pat Sass’ social media shows glimpses of life from the seat of the tractor, it’s not the view she envisioned for her life even a decade ago. But through humor and candor, she’s now an inspiration to others.
The merger will be effective March 1, 2024.
Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa corn projections fall below USDA’s August estimates. Soybeans are on par in all scouted states, including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and South Dakota.
Lack of moisture and high-heat days have Iowa locals concerned about cannibalized stalks, while Illinois considers impacts of wildfire smoke and overnight temps.
Hurricane-force winds swept from northern Missouri and Iowa all the way east to Illinois and Indiana. The derecho brought wind gusts up to 100 mph, flattening cornfields, but it also drenched soils with crucial rains.
Illinois crop ratings have dropped like a rock with only 33% of soybeans and 36% of corn rated good to excellent in this week’s USDA crop progress report.
Nestled in an old barn sat 8,000 mason jars filled with soil dating back to 1862. Now the plan is to revisit the 450 sampling locations spanning 21 million crop acres for insights into soil fertility and conservation.
State police said the pileups were caused by “excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, resulting in zero visibility.”