 |
|  |
 |
Director | ||||
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 |
News and Information:
Sales from events the past three months alone total nearly $500,000 These sales could not have come at a better time because our livestock industry is suffering through an economic crisis. Now, the challenge is to turn these sales into repeat business that will help insulate the industry against future economic slowdowns. ORAL HISTORY OF ILLINOIS AGRICULTURE WEBSITE LAUNCHED Features 300 hours of audio and video interviews with more than 130 people Anyone with a computer can now see and hear the history of Illinois agriculture told by the people who lived it. CONSERVATION IS KING IDOA study finds Illinois farmers are switching from conventional tillage methods to practices that preserve soil and protect the environment According to the 2009 Illinois Soil Erosion and Crop Tillage Transect Survey, nearly half (49.9 percent) of the state's cropland was farmed with a conservation tillage system this year. EAB RISK MANAGEMENT TRAINING OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE STATE Day-long seminar will help municipalities and communities prepare for possible EAB outbreak The seminars will help attendees identify EAB, learn the early signs of an affected tree and how state and federal quarantines are implemented once EAB is confirmed in a community. ILLINOIS AWARDED SPECIALTY CROP GRANTS Funds will expand the availability of fresh, locally-grown produce and strengthen state's specialty crop industry Illinois has been awarded more than $435,000 through the United States Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill. JACKSONVILLE TO HOST ILLINOIS PRODUCTS SHOWCASE Event will feature free food samples from 30 Illinois companies The showcase, a promotion sponsored by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) and Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held Thursday, Oct. 15, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hamilton's Catering, 110 N. East St. ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO LEAD REVERSE TRADE MISSION 32 international grain buyers scheduled to arrive Sunday for tour of the state's grain industry Illinois' export-dependent grain industry will have an opportunity next week to demonstrate its vast production and distribution ILLINOIS PRODUCTS FARMERS MARKET AND COMMUNITY GARDEN MEMBERS RECOGNIZED The Illinois Department of Agriculture held a dinner and awards ceremony to thank the vendors and sponsors of the Illinois Products Farmers Market (IPFM) and the member-sponsors of the Illinois State Fairgrounds Community Garden.
TAIWAN DELEGATION SIGNS LETTERS OF INTENT TO PURCHASE ILLINOIS GRAIN In 2008, Taiwan was the top customer of agricultural products from Illinois with purchases of more than $955 million. Taiwan also ranked as the seventh-largest export market for U.S. agricultural products overall and the fourth-largest market for U.S. corn and soybeans. IROQUIS COUNTY COUPLE SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON TERMS The former president of a defunct Iroquois County grain company and his wife, Mikel and Dianne Freeman, of Milford, Illinois, were sentenced today to federal prison terms and ordered to pay $4,839,858 in restitution to victims of the fraud scheme. ILLINOIS CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION 9/21/09 Another week of dry and warm weather has aided in the maturing of corn and soybeans. The first reports of completed fields of corn harvest have been received and some soybean fields have started to drop leaves. ILLINOIS DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE NAMES ROE STONE TO LADIES OF AGRICULTURE Roe Stone, Marketing Director for The Stone Seed Group, has been selected as one of Illinois' Ladies of Agriculture. GOVERNOR QUINN'S REQUEST FOR AGRICULTURAL DISASTER DECLARATION APPROVED Declaration will assist farmers in 88 Illinois counties Governor Pat Quinn announced federal disaster assistance is available to help Illinois farmers who suffered crop losses because of excessive rain and flooding this year. IDOA LAUNCHES PILOT PROGRAM FOR GRAIN ELEVATORS The Grain Inventory Accountability Pilot Program is intended to produce a more accurate accounting of both the quality and quantity of stored grain. GOVERNOR QUINN SIGNS LEGISLATION TO INCREASE DEMAND FOR ILLINOIS-GROWN FOOD New Law Will Put More Locally-Grown Food on Illinois Tables; Creates Council to Help Build Active Local Market for Illinois Food The fact that an estimated 96 percent of the fruits, vegetables, and meats that Illinoisans eat are produced in other states or countries is an astonishing imbalance and presents us with an enormous opportunity. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO ILLINOIS FISH FARMERS The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 set aside $50 million for aquaculture, including approximately $77,000 for producers in Illinois. IDOA: PLEASE DON'T DISTURB THE PURPLE TRAPS Box kite-looking devices to aid department's search for the destructive emerald ash borer The Illinois Department of Agriculture is placing purple traps in trees to help detect the emerald ash borer (EAB). INFORMATION ABOUT H1N1 FLU: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), no food safety issues have been identified related to the H1N1 flu virus. NEW ANHYDROUS AMMONIA SAFETY VIDEO AVAILABLE Because of the potentially hazardous nature of anhydrous ammonia, the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) and Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) have produced a 12-minute video outlining the proper safety procedures that famers should take each and every time they handle the product. watch the Video COUNTY ESTIMATES FOR 2008 NOW AVAILABLE The official estimates of acreage, yield and production of corn, soybeans and wheat for counties in Illinois for 2008 have been released by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Illinois Field Office. MYCOTOXIN SURVEY Every year the Illinois Department of Agriculture conducts mycotoxin surveys on corn to make sure it is safe for livestock feed. Department inspectors collect four corn samples per county, where possible, and send them to the Department's chemistry laboratory at the Illinois Department of Agriculture building in Springfield. The samples are analyzed for aflatoxin and fumonisin, two toxins that can be harmful to animals if feed contains high levels of either. Linked are state maps that show the county and levels of aflatoxin and fumonisin found in the corn samples analyzed so far this year. If you live in an area that shows high levels of either toxin and you are a livestock feeder, the Department recommends that the corn used in your feed ration be tested for these toxins. ILLINOIS SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PROGRESS REPORT AVAILABLE The "Illinois Conservation Partnership Annual Report - 2007" details the soil and water conservation accomplishments throughout Illinois last year.
NURSERY PROGRAM NOW ON-LINE The nursery program inspection staff of the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Environmental Programs inspects and certifies nearly 1,200 nurseries in Illinois each year.
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE STARTS WORK ON ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM First step is to identify every premise that handles livestock and poultry  In an ongoing effort to ensure safety in the food supply, the state Department of Agriculture has begun the difficult, but important task of identifying every farm, feedlot, sales barn and slaughter facility in Illinois that handles food animals. Register On-line
|
 |
Agriculture Events
Holiday Farmer's Market, Sat, Nov 21, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Illinois Building Main FloorAdmission: Free 9:00 am - 1:00 pm c/o Lindsay Record (217)528-1563 Memorial's Festival of Trees, Nov 21 - 29, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Orr BuildingAdmission: Adults - $5.00 Children (3-12) - $2.00 10:00 am - 8:00 pm daily except Thanksgiving Day - 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Closing Day - 10:00 am -c/o Amanda Johnson (217)788-3293 Harvest Hoedown, Wed, Nov 25, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Illinois Building TheaterAdmission: $10.00 7:00 pm - 1:00 am c/o Rachel Turasky (217)891-7215 MOTORCYCLE,KART & ATV RACING, Nov 27 - 28, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CENTERAdults $12.00 c/o Mr. Steve Nace 270-442-7532 HOLIDAY LIGHTS FAIR, Nov 27 - Dec 30, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, EXPO HALL HOLIDAY LIGHTS, Dec 1 - 30, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, GROUNDS & EXPO GIANT FLEA MARKET, MOTORCYCLE, KART & ATV RACING,
If you have an event you would like posted, please email the webmaster for inclusion on this website. |
ILLINOIS PUMPKINS ARE STILL NUMBER ONE
APIARY NEWS IN ILLINOIS COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER
HEARTLAND COOKBOOK
HAY AND STRAW DIRECTORY
| Questions or comments. |
State of Illinois Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 19281, State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL 62794-9281
(217) 782-2172
(217) 524-6858 TTY
The Department of Agriculture is an Equal Opportunity Employer