Agriculture
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Trade takeaways from Trump's meeting with Chinese leader Xi
Oct 30, 2025 8:03 am - U.S. President Donald Trump said he had an “amazing” meeting Thursday with China’s top leader Xi Jinping that produced very important decisions. The first official Chinese comments on the meeting were less specific and suggested any trade deal is not done.
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Illinois pumpkin harvest underway; heat weakens crop in some areasOct 09, 2025 4:30 pm - October is a busy month for the top pumpkin producing state and while consumers likely won’t see the effects, Mother Nature challenged some Illinois fields this season.
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Trump plans aid package for US soybean farmers while seeking trade deal with ChinaOct 05, 2025 5:20 pm - WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning a significant aid package to U.S. soybean farmers to help them survive China’s boycott of American beans in response ...
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Suburban soybean farmers looking for solution to China’s boycott amid tariff warOct 04, 2025 2:00 pm - The effect of a Chinese boycott of American soybeans in retaliation for punitive U.S. tariffs is being felt even in the suburbs.
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The world's tallest sunflower blooms in an Indiana backyard as a tribute to UkraineSep 12, 2025 4:05 pm - FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — When Alex Babich, 47, stood in his backyard in Fort Wayne, Indiana, craning his neck to look 35 feet into the sky, he wasn’t just staring at a sun...
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Woodchip bioreactor helps Peoria area farmer reduce nitrogen runoffSep 09, 2025 4:39 pm - A Marshall County farmer installs woodchip bioreactor on his land to reduce nitrogen runoff, doing his part to meet statewide nutrient loss reduction goals and improve local water quality.
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U of I grad’s company ‘turning poop into profit’Sep 09, 2025 2:01 pm - Bianca Bailey founded Agriwater to transform livestock waste into clean water and valuable byproducts using an electrocoagulation technique she developed. She is now competing for $100k in the AFBF Ag Innovation Challenge.
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How an Illinois farmer turned flooded farmland into rice paddies
Sep 09, 2025 10:09 am - One Illinois man’s decadeslong fight to convert his fields into rice paddies demonstrates how it’s possible to bring diversity to the Corn Belt, but improbable so long as federal farm policy remains focused on soybeans and corn.
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U.S. agricultural trade deficit reaches nearly $29 billionAug 21, 2025 12:51 pm - The U.S. ag trade deficit climbed to a new high the first half of 2025.The deficit hit a record $28.6 billion through June, according to USDA data released this month.
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Illinois beekeepers battle losses, costs to keep hives buzzing
Aug 19, 2025 10:36 am - Beekeepers face steep startup costs and significant bee colony losses — often exceeding 50% annually. Illinois has more than 5,400 registered beekeepers, with nearly nine in 10 managing 10 hives or fewer.