December Weather
By Gary Scott on January 2, 2025 at 6:48pm
Not only was there no White Christmas in Jacksonville last month, but there was little snow on any other day. There were just traces of snow on the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 12th and nothing the rest of the month. Normal snowfall is somewhere between 3 and 3 and a half inches. And, it was dry […]
Farm-to-School Cafeteria Movement Expanding in Central Illinois
By Benjamin Cox on November 26, 2024 at 6:15am
Three counties’ schools in Central Illinois may see more locally-produced food in their cafeterias. The Sangamon County Board approved $40,000 in funding this month to support a program expansion at the U of I Extension office that covers Sangamon, Menard and Logan counties to serve more locally sourced, scratch-cooked meals in local institutions. The new […]
Schuyler Co. Farm Bureau: White Tail Deer Destroying More Crops
By Benjamin Cox on August 19, 2024 at 12:24pm
The state’s white tailed deer population is becoming an increasing nuisance for farmers in West Central Illinois, particularly corn growers. West Central Illinois is known nationwide for being a prime hunting spot for deer. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website, more than $2.1 billion in tourism dollars are spent on hunting and […]
Menard Co. Farm Bureau Makes Connection With West Side of Chicago With Adopt A Legislator Program
By Benjamin Cox on August 7, 2024 at 6:19am
A Central Illinois county farm bureau recently completed a successful “Adopt A Legislator” event in Chicago. The Illinois Farm Bureau program has been ongoing since 2001. The purpose of the program is to building long-term personal relationships between urban state legislators and farmers from across Illinois. The goal of the program is to educate urban […]
Grab ‘N’ Grow Greenhouse Concept Continues to Spread
By Benjamin Cox on July 23, 2024 at 6:17am
A little store in Riggston continues to have a big impact in the area and in Springfield. WGEM reports that the Grab n Grow Greenhouse was the recent recipient of a $3,000 Illinois Farm Bureau Rural Development grant to help grow the business. Owner Jenny Sauer-Schmidgall says she is looking to expand the business with […]
Curry Named IL Agri-Women Outstanding Woman Farmer 2023
By Benjamin Cox on July 19, 2024 at 12:10pm
A Pike County farmer has been named the Illinois Agri-Women Outstanding Woman Farmer for 2023. Lynn Curry, who farms alongside her husband Kim Curry with their beef and farm operations in Pike County was recognized for her work both on and off the family farm. Curry was recognized for her organization efforts of the entire […]
Bland Family Farms Receives Grant, Hopes to Expand Seasonal Produce Tours
By Benjamin Cox on June 17, 2024 at 12:02pm
A rural Jacksonville specialty farm has received a major national grant award. Bland Family Farm was awarded up to $15,000 by the Frontera Farmer Foundation to buy a conveyor-driven brush wash system equipped with a sorting turntable tailored for root vegetables. The farm recently employed a new oscillating harvester to help with the labor-intensive root […]
New Berlin Area Farmer Lands in Top 3 For Annual Corn Yield Contest
By Benjamin Cox on April 7, 2024 at 9:40am
A New Berlin-area farmer was recently named the state’s winner for corn yield in a national contest. The National Corn Growers Association’s 59th annual Corn Yield Contest recently released its results. Gary Reavis of New Berlin, Illinois, placed third in state in the D: No-Till Non-Irrigated Class with yield of over 298 bushels per acre. […]
Illinois FFA President, Franklin Native Pushing For Line Item Increase For Ag Education
By Benjamin Cox on March 19, 2024 at 6:16am
Illinois FFA President Thaddeus Bergschneider of Franklin is making the most out of his last few months in office. Bergschneider spent Illinois Ag Legislative Day last week in Springfield lobbying General Assembly members to increase line item money for ag education. Bergschneider tells RFD Illinois that he’s seen remarkable growth in schools’ ag education and […]
IL Farm Bureau, Bipartisan Legislators Unveil New Estate Tax Revamp
By Benjamin Cox on February 1, 2024 at 11:47am
The Illinois Farm Bureau was joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers today in Bloomington to unveil new legislation to improve Illinois’ estate tax At the Bloomington home office of the farm bureau, House Bill 4600 was introduced as a way to protect heritage farms by updating the tax code. The bipartisan piece of legislation […]