Prairie Farmer

Prairie Farmer is a weekly publication that focuses on agricultural and rural topics in Illinois. It was established in 1841 in Chicago by John Stephen Wright, initially named The Union Agriculturist and Western Prairie Farmer. The newspaper's first masthead highlighted its commitment to "western agriculture, mechanics, and education." Currently, Prairie Farmer is owned by Farm Progress, which is part of the British publishing company Informa.

Local, Trade/B2B

English

Newspaper

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#110830

United States

#27340

Heavy Industry and Engineering/Agriculture

#32

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

A century of agricultural resilience

2 days ago | farmprogress.com | David Kohl

When my neighbor, Bob, shared his weathered hands across the fence line, I shook hands with living history—a man whose eyes had witnessed the ravages of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic when three of his brothers died while he survived a 106-degree fever. He felt the economic stranglehold of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, endured the desperate years of the Great Depression, and survived the global chaos of both World Wars.
Clemson study reveals grassland management benefits for farmers

3 days ago | farmprogress.com | John Hart

As the single largest land use in the United States, grasslands offer tremendous potential for carbon sequestration and opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if managed properly.
Hope and uncertainty for farmers

3 days ago | farmprogress.com | Bryce Knorr

U.S. farmers know all about change – and that experience could help them navigate markets as variable as spring weather morphing to summer. China and the U.S. stepped back from their trade war brinksmanship following negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend that ended with an agreement to reducing tariffs, at least for now. Still, the absence of fog isn’t by any means the same thing as clarity.
Corn, soybean plantings exceed expectations

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Ben Potter

USDA’s latest crop progress report, out Monday afternoon and covering the week through May 11, held plenty of interesting data to peel through. Of particular note, corn plantings were faster than expected after vaulting past the halfway mark. Soybean plantings were also faster than analysts were anticipating, while winter wheat quality ratings found a three-point boost. Corn plantings shifted from 40% completion a week ago up to 62% as of Sunday.
Tariffs slashed in 90-day deal to restart negotiations

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Joshua Baethge

The United States and China agreed, at least temporarily, to dial back high tariffs imposed in April. Following negotiations in Geneva on Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the U.S. is lowering its 145% tariffs on Chinese imports to 30%. In return, China will lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. Those rates will remain in effect for 90 days as the two nations work to hammer out a new trade deal.
Record corn crop, tight soybean stocks for 2025-26

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Bruce Blythe |Ben Potter

Corn and soybean futures extended overnight rallies after USDA, in its Supply and Demand report for May, forecast lower than expected U.S. stockpiles at the end of the 2025-26 marketing year. Wheat futures remained under pressure after USDA predicted a sharp jump in next year’s supplies. About 1.8 billion bushels of corn are expected to be on hand at the end of the 2025-26 crop, USDA said in the report, which included the agency’s initial estimates for the upcoming marketing year.
Weekly Grain Movement – No alarms and no surprises

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Ben Potter

USDA’s latest grain export inspection report, out Monday morning and covering the week through May 8, failed to surprise traders after the data was released. Corn volume again led the way but spilled moderately lower week-over-week. Soybean and wheat volume landed near the middle of analyst estimates, meantime. Corn export inspections faded moderately below the prior week’s tally after reaching 48.2 million bushels.
USDA suspends Mexico livestock imports over screwworm concerns

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Joshua Baethge

USDA is suspending live animal imports from Mexico. The decision announced May 11 by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was made due to concerns over New World screwworm and its rapid spread. According to an agency release, the screwworms have been reported in remote farms near Oaxaca and Veracruz in southern Mexico. Those cities are roughly 700 miles from the U.S. border.
California considers coyote hunting restrictions, ranchers object

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Tim Hearden

Tim Hearden, Senior Editor, Western Farm PressA collared coyote overlooks downtown Los Angeles.Johanna Turner/UCANRA subcommittee of the Califrornia Fish and Game Commission will meet Thursday, May 15, to consider putting limits on a rule allowing coyotes to be taken at any time of the year and at any number.
Follow along with Kansas Wheat Tour updates

4 days ago | farmprogress.com | Jennifer M. Latzke

The yard sticks and mud boots are packed in the vans, and tomorrow, May 13, the Wheat Quality Council’s 2025 Hard Winter Wheat Tour will set out across Kansas to evaluate the winter wheat crop. This annual tour of wheat industry professionals, Extension experts and farmers has been a rite of passage in Kansas for 67 years. Participants from all sectors of the grain chain take the opportunity to network and to learn more about the wheat industry.