Springfield Herald News

LINCOLN, IL. — Illinois dirt racing fans won't have to travel far to see some of the biggest names in the sport this week. A powerhouse lineup of Illinois stars will defend their home turf on Tuesday, July 21, when the FloRacing Night In America series returns to Lincoln Speedway for the continuation of the Graue Chevrolet Showdown, where the nation's top Super Late Model drivers will battle for a $20,000 winner's prize.

Last month, we looked at characteristics of higher profit farms using a twenty-year average and different regions of the state (see farmdoc daily, June 22, 2026). Using data from the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) Association from 2001 through 2025, we will look at three different three-year medians that have varying levels of income to analyze selected differences between the highest profit grain farms (high one-third) and the lowest profit grain farms (low one-third).

At some point when I was in elementary school I stumbled across a very weird picture book in the school library that told a truncated version of the legendary Greek hero Odysseus’ confrontation with the cyclops Polyphemus.

In late June 2026, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell (No. 24–1068). The Court held that the “Uniformity” provision in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) expressly preempts label-based failure-to-warn claims (Slip Op. at 22).

Luncheon celebrates 317 college-bound youth receiving state scholarship funds CHICAGO — Today, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Heidi E. Mueller, legislators, DCFS staff, caregivers and students gathered to celebrate this year’s scholarship recipients at the department’s annual scholarship luncheon at the Crowne Plaza O’Hare in Rosemont.

Join Dennis Bowman, Extension Specialist in Digital Agriculture at the University of Illinois, for an in-depth look at how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the agricultural landscape. From precision agriculture and autonomous robots to generative AI tools like CropWizard, learn how these technologies are enhancing efficiency, productivity, and sustainability on the farm.

URBANA, IL — A new analysis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Soybean Association finds that Illinois corn and soybean farmers could lose up to $609 million per year — representing a 3.6% revenue loss — if the state banned the weedkiller glyphosate. The estimate represents a realistic scenario in which farmers would replace glyphosate with more expensive and slightly less effective herbicide products, and accounts for modest yield losses.

The domestic US food supply chain is vital in connecting farms, businesses, and consumers across the country and beyond. Events such as pandemics, trade disputes, floods, and droughts can disrupt these connections in different ways from one location to another. It is therefore important to study a high-resolution county-level impact of shocks on the US supply chain.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the USDA has released some final county yields for the 2025 crop year. Based on the USDA’s latest estimates for the 2025 marketing year average prices for corn and soybeans, the county yields suggest ARC-CO payments will be widespread with about half of counties triggering payments and many counties triggering the maximum payment.

Annual update supports fair wages, responsible contractors, and Illinois communities SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has published the 2026 prevailing wage rates for construction trades in every county across Illinois. The updated rates took effect Wednesday, July 15, 2026, following IDOL's annual statewide survey conducted in June pursuant to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act.