As fall descends upon northern Illinois, leaf peepers are roaming the countryside, looking for the signs that will guide them back to a mouthwatering vegetable treat next year: wild asparagus. Now is the time to be out on the prowl, looking for stands of the mature plants. Pay special attention to roadsides for wild asparagus. Now is the best time to find the delicious plant. Wild asparagus grows from crowns, which are similar to a bulb root system. It emerges in the spring and continues to grow through midsummer. A whopping $3 a pound in stores for old, wilted stalks, many choose to hunt the…

The Joliet Junior College agriculture program is widely recognized as one of the best in the area. The school hosted its annual plot day Wednesday, focusing on the future of farming. "We are the only independent research and demonstration farm in northeast Illinois, that is for certain," said Ag Professor Bill Johnson. One of the highlights included discussion about cover crops. University of Illinois Extension Educator Russ Higgins and retiree Jim Morrison presented research. This is a process not very popular in our area, but has proven effective elsewhere, Johnson said. The purpose is to …

Maybe there won’t be Pinkie Tuscadaro. Maybe it won’t be a scene with Fonzie from Happy Days. Still, the Will County Fair will have the muscle cars revved up and ready. Friday begins the 2-day demolition derby. It starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and continues Saturday at 7 p.m. Admission to the grandstand is $9. Friday also is dollar day. All carnival rides are just $1 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Regular prices continue after that. The fair opens at 8 a.m. General admission is $4. Children under 10 are free. Saturday is Democrat day. The carnival opens at noon. At 3 p.m., there will be a sock hop in …

In case the stock market needed to be more volatile, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission just gave it a little nudge. Starting Monday, the daily trade limits will increase by 33 percent. New limits will be 40 cents a bushel, up from 30 cents. “I personally think it is a mistake to do it, but they are doing it anyway,” said agriculture economist Bill Johnson, a professor at Joliet Junior College.  Higher trading limits mean greater fluctuation of the market. Traders like it because they see more action. This can also give the market more availability to react but those, typically, …

Country music star Rodney Atkins will appear live in concert at the Farm Progress Show August 31 in Decatur. Atkins has had numerous hit singles, including “These Are My People”, “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)”, “If You’re Going Through Hell” and “Watching You.” Concert tickets are $15 in advance, and $25 at the gate. To purchase, click here. The Farm Progress Show will be held August 30 through September 1. Tuesday and Wednesday hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday ends at 4 p.m. Entrance into the show costs $12 per adult per day. Students are $8, aged 13-17. Children under 12 are free. …

It wasn't a bird, but it was a plane. Three planes, to be precise. Area corn farmers tried to stay ahead of mother nature Wednesday and Thursday by spraying fungicide from the air in Will, Kendall and Kankakee counties. Minooka's Hintzsche Fertilizer, along with Benoit Aerial, sprayed Headline, a fungicide that is widely used within the agriculture community. Generally speaking, products like Headline, are used to prevent disease. They are generally considered safe to humans.  According to a New York State Department of Conservation study, Headline can cause moderate to severe eye and skin …

Spend the weekend teaching the kids about the good old days of country farming. Children of all ages will love the steam train rides, petting zoo, flea market, and great food. The Will County Threshermen’s Association is hosting its 49thAntique Tractor, Steam Engine and Gas Engine show. “Those who attend the Will County Threshermen’s Association Show can expect to be transported back to yesteryear,” according to the association’s Web site. “Steam engines, antique gasoline tractors, gas engines, antique automobiles and other machines provide a working testimonial to the genius of previous …

Lawn looking a little peaked? Vegetables growing a little weary? Trees have uninvited guests? For the average homeowner, free help is on the way. The University of Illinois Extension Service has a free hotline for any question nature related. A master gardener is staffed all year from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.  This time of year, about 40 percent of the questions are insect-related, and 30 percent is disease related, said Nancy Kuhajda, master gardener program coordinator.  The information provided to callers is research-based and university tested. It is not biased, such as when …

Will County farmers know how to have a good time for a good cause. The first of what they hope to many annual fundraisers, Tractors for a Cure reaped what may top $100,000 Saturday for cancer research. Hundreds of people paid $25 to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Over 49 tractors pulled float-style party wagons. When the final dollars are counted from the donations, raffles and auctions, organizers expected the one-day event to net over $30,000. Then, that amount will be matched three times by corporate sponsors. The day was spent with live music, free food and drinks, a tractor…

Shoppers may not get pinched so hard in the pocket books at the grocery store. The stock market decline of grain prices continues, as crop supply and global demand start leveling out. In particular, the beef and pork industries may start experiencing some relief from high corn prices. “Both [corn and wheat] have sold off sharply in recent days, with corn futures falling to a six-week low after setting all-time highs in early June,” said Cathy Chismarick, a grain expert at Prairie Creek Grain in her daily update Thursday. Despite the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan early Thursday, …

In ag news this week, the stock markets have remained surprisingly calm. The real turbulence, however, has been in the weather. The heavy storms that started Wednesday have set some farmers back weeks yet again. Many local farmers have had to replant soybeans after the last downpour. They just got the seeds in the ground as recently as Monday and Tuesday. Now, with the  flash floods that started Wednesday night, some bean farmers are going to have to start over for possibly a third or fourth time. Standing water causes the ground to crust over, preventing growth. Seeds that have not emerged …

Corn farmers can finally take a breather after a wet, three-week planting delay that put them near panic. Statewide, corn crops have surpassed the five-year average in amount planted and emerged, the Illinois Department of Agriculture reported Tuesday. Rain nearly quadrupled for the state, averaging 2.83 inches. The norm for this time period is 1.03 inches.  Despite flooding and saturated fields, farmers were able to take advantage of small windows of good weather.  "Corn planted was at 94 percent, 4 percentage points above the previous week and one percentage point above the five-year …

The nation still lags behind in planting corn, according to the U.S.Department of Agriculture. This could mean increased food prices if U.S. supply fails to meet global demand. If U.S. farmers do not produce as hoped this fall, analysts predict corn prices will rise. The first place consumers will feel it is in the price of beef and pork. The planting progress has contributed to a recent decrease in the inflated grain prices. The U.S.D.A. announced Monday that Illinois has 90 percent of the state's corn planted. That number is ahead of the average to date of 85 percent. Ohio and Indiana, …

More than 100 acres of watermelons exploded unexpectedly, according to the official Xinhua News Agency Tuesday. A growth chemical that is approved in the U.S. is suspected to be the cause. “Forchlorfenuron [the growth chemical] is a cytokinin, which improves fruit size, fruit set, cluster weight and cold storage in grapes and kiwifruits,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s pesticide fact sheet. The Chinese farmer says he applied too much, too late in the growth stage. Forchlorfenuron is considered a plant growth regulator. Although forchlorfenuron  was approved by the EPA in …

The grain and oil markets dropped significantly Thursday and these may be good signs for consumers. “I think it may be an indication that we have seen the highs for quite a long time, maybe a long, long time,” according to agriculture economist Bill Johnson, a professor at Joliet Junior College. The high prices have not rippled through to the consumer yet, but Thursday's markets suggest it will make it harder for prices to continue to increase. “I think it just means that some of the concerns with runaway $5 gasoline and $10 corn are probably not going to come to pass,” he said. At market …

With prices soaring over $4.00 a gallon, drivers hope prices have reached their max. According to a local economist, there is evidence to suggest they may have. "I wouldn't want to say with a threat of losing my life that they have," said Bill Johnson, an agriculture economist at Joliet Junior College. "I'd say there is better than a 60 percent chance that they have peaked or are close to peaking." Johnson cites two examples pointing to what he believes are indicators of a peak. First, he said that the relationship between the price of gas and the price of oil are inflated. In 2008, we had …

Gas prices are on the rise and there is no end in sight. It doesn't help that the ethanol supply is threatened by this week's storms. Farmers are struggling against cold, wet weather this week. Their planting window is closing, which could mean less corn planted. Even if seed does get in the ground on time, our historically cold temperatures this week may very well mean less yield. Less corn means higher prices for things corn makes, including ethanol and subsequently gas. "Cold, wet and snowy weather sent the CME Group corn and soybeans higher," wrote Cathy Chismarick, a grain expert, in a …

Today's drivers have a lot to consider, especially with the gas prices topping $4 a gallon this week. However, also happening is the start of planting season. Drivers have to be more cautious with increased slow-moving, over-sized farm equipment on the roads. One of the hottest news topics in agriculture right now is the twin bond between gas and corn prices.  Last Friday's USDA World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) was expected to be big news in the stock market as well as the ag community. It turned out to be largely uneventful, said Agriculture Economist Bill Johnson, a …

It is little consolation that Americans pay the lowest percentage of income for food than any other country in the world. We also have been paying the lowest percentage of our income for gasoline.  "We have been getting an incredible bargain for food for a long, long, long time compared to other countries," said Agriculture Economist Bill Johnson. In last week's Ag News, Johnson helped us understand how the prices of corn affect the average consumer. This week, we are going deeper in the what and how and why of food prices as they relate to farmers.  Johnson is finishing his 43rd year …

Some say that yesterday's much-awaited U.S.D.A. announcements are much ado about nothing. The ag market tends to hold its breath anticipating the March 31 grain stocks and prospective plantings reports. Somewhat based on speculation and intentions, the news was expected. The answers will change. Still, yesterday's closing bell let us know how important these reports have become. In early March, approximately 85,000 American farmers surveyed said they intended to plant more corn, to the tune of a roughly 4 million acre increase. If that happens, the U.S. will see the second-largest corn …