Prices for tomatoes have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour.

Illinois grows more soybeans than any other state, harvesting more than 639 million bushels in 2025. But almost none of those millions of bushels end up as food on Illinois plates. According to the Illinois Soybean Association, 60% of soybeans grown in the state are exported.

On the waterways of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City’s center, communities are working to preserve a farming system that has sustained life for centuries.

The high cost of fuel, equipment, and fertilizer — compounded by the Iran war — and also tariffs, perceived “price gouging” by suppliers, and low soybean prices driven by a global supply glut.

The Moline, Illinois-based manufacturer, which does business under the John Deere brand, has faced a handful of “right to repair” complaints over the years.

Because raw milk has not been pasteurized to remove illness-causing organisms, Illinois imposes strict limitations on its sale to protect public health. Some want to change that.

Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said the money being offered is not nearly enough to make up for the losses farmers are suffering.

President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package Monday — a boost to farmers who have struggled to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs after the president raised tariffs on China.

The USDA said each Farm Service Agency office will have two workers who will be paid even though the government remains shutdown. Thousands of other federal employees like air traffic controllers are working without pay during the shutdown.

If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and in mines, and limit the government’s ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training.

The U.S. needs more publicly funded research and development on agriculture to offset the effects of climate change, according to a paper out in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this month. But instead the U.S. has been investing less. 

Whether it be tariffs that make Illinois soybeans less attractive to China or cuts to funds that prop up things like rural firefighting services, conservation-minded farming techniques and tree assessments after major storms, Illinois farmers are worried.

The effects of President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs on allies and rivals are yet to be seen, but farmers in Illinois are bracing for their impact — even as they wait years for Congress to pass long-term federal spending legislation.

The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December. That’s not quite as high as the $4.82 record set two years ago, but the Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year.

Stink bugs — officially, brown marmorated stink bugs — aren’t fans of the cooler fall temperatures and have started heading indoors to over-winter. Don’t freak out, experts said.

The Harris-Walz plan includes a focus on improving rural health care, such as plans to recruit 10,000 new health care professionals in rural and tribal areas through scholarships, loan forgiveness and new grant programs, as well as economic and agricultural policy priorities.