Steve Alexander

1 week ago | wgnradio.com | Steve Alexander

Early planting of soybeans is being adapted by a growing number of Midwest farmers. The potential reward is huge. There's also a big risk. That's where the sniff test comes in. Here's how it works: "Dig up the soybean and hold it up to your nose. If it smells like earth, you're good. But if you can squeeze it and a liquid comes out and it smells rotten? Guess what, it's rotten." That's how Brad Mason, a field agronomist for Pioneer Seeds in Western Illinois describes the sniff test.

1 month ago | wgnradio.com | Steve Alexander

The #1 pickle brand is Claussen's and every pickle chomped on in the U.S. is made in Woodstock, Illinois, now with the assistance of A.I.In 1978, the Illinois State Legislature proclaimed St. Charles, Illinois, "Pickle Capital of the World." That was solely because Pickle Packers International, a non-profit focused on educating consumers about the benefits of pickles, was located there until it disbanded in 2004. But not one pickle is produced in St. Charles.

2 months ago | wgnradio.com | Steve Alexander

Watchdog group Farm Action asked for the investigation three weeks earlier, suggesting dominant egg producers have leveraged the bird flu crisis to fix prices and amass record profits, using coordinated efforts to restrict supply and sustain inflated prices.

2 months ago | wgnradio.com | Steve Alexander

Posted:Updated:With many homeowners deciding to hang on to their 3% mortgages and stay put, remodeling the kitchen is gaining popularity. A lot has changed in kitchen styles (if you still have avocado-green appliances, seek help), and in the audio clip below, Sarah Leonard, owner of Legacy Properties tells WGN's Steve Alexander things to do to get the most bang for your buck when investing in cabinets, floors, appliances, and more.

2 months ago | wgnradio.com | Steve Alexander

It doesn't have pigs, either, but it sells pork nationwide and is part of BaconFest 2025. One would expect Jones Dairy Farm, a seventh-generation farm in America's Dairyland, Wisconsin, to be all about milk and other dairy products. It isn't, and hasn't had cows on its farm since the 1980s. But it's big in bacon and other pork products and is one of the vendors passing out samples of bacon at Milwaukee's BaconFest (February 23, 2025).