Central Illinois Farm Network

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has designated Brian Rennecker to represent the Department on the Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council (NREC) board of directors. Rennecker replaces Chuck Cawley who retired from IDOA in June. Brian Rennecker serves as IDOA’s Division Manager of Natural Resources. As a third-generation farmer and wildlife and nature enthusiast, Brian brings extensive field-based conservation experience to his leadership role. Prior to

Graymont Co-op has announced the acquisition of Missal Farmers Grain Company. Under the agreement, the facility at 325 N 975 E Road in Streator will continue to operate as Graymont Cooperative Association, Missal location. The closing is expected on Sept. 1 with operations continuing seamlessly into the future, according to a recent news release. "Today is a day of celebration - not just for Graymont, but for every farmer, employee and community member who has been part of th

An idea that began six years ago has grown into a big part of the Livingston County Ag Fair each year. Agri-Town happens for a couple of afternoons during the fair at 4-H Park in Pontiac. “We took the rec shelter and turned it into games for everyone and every year, we’ve tried to improve it,” explained organizer Karen Clark. Thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers, kids have a great time and they give away 1500 prizes a year. The hope is to teach kids a little abou

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that ten additional meat and poultry companies have adopted USDA’s voluntary Product of USA label, marking continued momentum behind the Administration’s efforts to help consumers easily identify products that are truly born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States. Since USDA launched its nationwide awareness campaign earlier this year, more processors across the country have committed to using the Prod

The Farm Progress Show, in partnership with Van Wall Equipment, Titan/Goodyear and John Deere, will present an evening concert featuring Iowa country music recording artist Jason Brown, followed by a pyrotechnic drone light show by Sky Elements, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. The concert and drone show are free to all Farm Progress Show ticket holders. General admission tickets will be available at a discounted rate of $15 plus fees through Aug. 28, after which full-price admis

Jenner Depot is proud to announce it is now an authorized Exmark dealer, bringing one of the most trusted names in lawn and garden equipment to homeowners and commercial contractors in the Pontiac, Illinois, area. Known for industry-leading performance, durability, and cut quality, Exmark mowers are trusted for residential, acreage and landscape professional use across the country. Customers can now shop the Exmark lineup directly through Jenner Depot, with access to zero-t

A Divco Convention, in commemoration of 100 Years of Divco, will be held in conjunction with a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66, “Kickin’ on Route 66”. DIVCO (Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company) saw the start of DIVCO truck production in 1926. The iconic DIVCO that most people remember from the '50's and '60's, was first built in 1938 and the snub-nose design remained until the last truck was built in 1986. That style DIVCO became iconic and was known as "Amer

By Kent Casson Let’s hope the nice market gains we saw last week continue throughout the summer months. The recent bump was supported by a couple of key drivers including reports of China purchasing 5-10 cargoes of U.S. soybeans and concerns over a hot and dry weather forecast for the following week. As of my conversation with Aaron Curtis of MIDCO last Tuesday, there was no official flash sale announcement confirmed. An upcoming trade discussion meeting is planned with China

Friday’s USDA WASDE report was neutral to slightly positive in general. Corn average guess for carryout ending stocks of the 25-26 crop year came in slightly lower than expected. For soybeans, 337 million was the guess and they came in at 330. Next year’s ending stocks for corn was at 1.79 billion, lower than the average trade guess. Soybeans were at 310 million and the average guess was 332. Wheat at 7.22 is the only one that is a little higher, the average was 7.18.

Plenty of orange is on display this weekend at Historic Farm Days in Penfield, Illinois. It is the “Gathering of the Orange” for the Allis-Chalmers tractor which is the feature. Historic Farm Days includes tractor pulls every day, entertainment, daily tractor parades, food and more. For a background on the tradition at Penfield, visit www.historicfarmdays.com.