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.
Rider Jackson farms with his dad, Fred, in Buchanan County. He grows primarily corn and soybeans, as well as some wheat and putting up hay. He studied agriculture at Northwest Missouri State University. Jackson participated in the Missouri Corn Growers Association’s CornRoots program, which …
Danny Kuenzel farms with family in Franklin and Gasconade counties. He grows corn and soybeans, with some acres in the Missouri River bottom and some on the hill ground. He serves on the board for the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council.
Dan Carpenter farms with family in Carroll and Ray counties. He is a fourth-generation farmer, raising corn, soybeans and cattle. He also owns and operates a Pioneer seed agency. Carpenter serves on the Missouri Soybean Association board.
Chad Bruns farms with family in Audrain County, in northeast Missouri. He grows corn, soybeans and wheat. He also raises beef cattle, with a cow-calf operation.
Derek Fuemmeler has been farming with family all his life. He farms in Howard, Chariton and Randolph counties, with a diversified farm operation. He also works as a certified crop advisor and provides crop consulting services.
R.T. Slack farms with family in Henry and Johnson counties in west-central Missouri. He says conditions are muddy heading into spring planting time. He grows corn and soybeans and also puts up some alfalfa hay.
- 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.
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- 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.
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