Editor’s note: The following was written by Chad E. Hart, Iowa State University Extension economist, for the July Ag Decision Maker newsletter.
- By Kim McMichael
Iowans have been expressing concern about our state’s cancer rates. Iowa has the second highest cancer incidence in the country and is one of only three states where the rates are rising.
- Tim Kenyon
DES MOINES, Iowa — The upcoming 2026 Iowa State Fair mixes celebrations, traditions and updated facilities in its “Fair Spirit” theme.
- Crystal Reed
Miles of Smiles,” the theme for the Illinois State Fair Aug. 13-23, celebrates the 100th anniversary of historic Route 66.
- Benjamin Herrold
This year’s Missouri State Fair will feature the usual celebration of agriculture in the state and events and displays commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence.
- Crystal Reed
THAWVILLE, Ill. — Rodger Bennett, 84, has been showing in the Agricultural Products Show at the Illinois State Fair since the early 1970s.
- By Jeff DeYoung, Iowa Farmer Today
Editor’s note: This is part of a series featuring winners of the Iowa State Fair Way We Live award for 2026. Iowa Farmer Today is an award sponsor.
- Crystal Reed
Lisa Link serves as the assistant deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism, which drives visitation to and within Illinois.
- By Benjamin Herrold, Iowa Farmer Today
Randy Dreher did not plan to teach other people how to do artificial insemination. It was just something he did for his cattle on his farm in western Iowa, near Audubon.
Each season, growers sorting through seed decisions face a flood of yield claims and performance data. Company X says its seed outyielded Company Y’s, and the comparisons keep coming. Instead of clarity, the numbers can create more questions and leave growers unsure what to do next.
- By Crystal Reed, Fern Alling and Tom Barton, Iowa Farmer Today
At a time when rural healthcare availability is under threat, the need for care in rural areas is proving greater than in urban areas.
- Benjamin Herrold
For farm families, finding healthcare coverage is an important but challenging task.
- Crystal Reed
The Morrow Plots on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus mark 150 years in production this year — the nation’s oldest continuously running agricultural experiment in North America. The plots are the second oldest in the world.
- By Jeff DeYoung, Iowa Farmer Today
Silage choppers will soon be dotting the landscape as farmers bring in that valuable crop. Until then, there are things that need to be done, said Ben Beckman, Extension educator with the University of Nebraska based in Hartington.
Where’s the beef?” The iconic girl with pigtails coined the phrase in the mid-’80s, and since then it’s been used to demand both quality and quantity.
- By Tim Kenyon, Iowa Farmer Today
Rural health programs are seeing changes at the federal and state levels as a result of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program federal initiative administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
- Tim Kenyon
Dr. Robert Kruse has served as Iowa’s state medical director and division director of public health for Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services since October 2022. He is board certified in Family Medicine.
- By Nick Hytrek, Lee Enterprises
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Like many other kids involved in 4-H, Emmanuel Ruiz Del Olmo and Kylee Kurtzleben spent a recent warm, humid day with halter in hand, practicing leading their calves in preparation for the upcoming county fair.
- Crystal Reed
Warm and inconsistent weather patterns are leading to increased pest pressure for farmers in the Midwest.
- Tim Kenyon
Summer is halfway gone, but some favorite produce items recently became available at roadside stands across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.
- Crystal Reed
EFFINGHAM, Ill. — Solo cups aren’t just for summer barbecues. They’re also something to look for in a cattle herd.
- Benjamin Herrold
While every growing season has its own variety, over a century of weather data helps portray what an average growing season looks like in different areas.
- By Donnelle Eller, Lee Wire-Des Moines Register
U.S. farmers are paying significantly more for the seed, chemicals and other supplies needed to grow crops than their major global competitors in Brazil, a new report from the National Corn Growers Association said
- Katelyn Winberg
When 4-year-old Easton Randall climbed onto a 1953 Ford Jubilee next to his 85-year-old great-grandfather this spring, he announced, "This is my tractor."
- By Ankit Yadav and Amit Jhala, University of Nebraska
Escaping weeds may tempt growers to spray later into the season, but corn growth stage restrictions remain critical.
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