RFD Today

We meet the founders of the Rural Indexing Project, Zach Huelsing & Jon Lehman. They have been providing original photographic documentation of buildings, signs, and symbols since 2010. Monica Nyman with the St. Louis Dairy Council discusses healthy food choices. Meteorologist Dan Hicks with Freese-Notis Weather recaps January conditions.

State Director for USDA Rural Development Betsy Dirksen Londrigan provides program updates including February application deadline for Rural Business Development Grant Program. Randy Graham with Illinois Specialty Growers recaps the energy from the Everything Local conference. Helen Van Beck of American Farmland Trust details the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership. And Comstock Investments' Joe C...

Friday's show featuresIllinois Farm Bureau Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities. He breaks down several Springfield items. Southern Illinois Congressman Mike Bost talks several ag issues. Dr. Dan Miller of the Millikin University math department details a robotics competition on the Decatur campus this weekend. Darin Copeland of Prairie Farm Dairy highlights yogurt and dips.

State Conservationist Ivan Dozier reflects on his career in Thursday's show. We hear from Jack Ratcliffe, who serves as Boone County Fair Board Vice President. He talks county fair business during the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs Annual Meeting. And Grant Hammer provides the latest information from the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Wednesday's show features a conversation with newly crowned Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Paige VanDyke. Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller discusses new Farm Bill and her role on House Ag Committee. University of Illinois Extension’s Jay Solomon promotes Certified Livestock Training Workshops this winter. And Jon Rosensteel details his role on Illinois Corn Marketing Board.

Tuesday's show features a visit with Craig Vivian and Tammy LaPrad at Monmouth College. They detail the school’s Rural Education Initiatives program, which has received $750,000 in federal funding. Mike and Deb Hufendick from Hufendick Farm Market in Plainfield discuss USDA funding they’ve received to expand meat processing capacity. Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford talks a developing winte...

Monday's show features coverage from the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs 112th annual meeting in Spring. We hear from IAAF board president Jill Hardesty and director Tom Moore. We also chat with Kelly Honegger, new Fairbury Fair Board president. We finish the show previewing a new market week with Joe Camp from Comstock Investments.

Julie Hewitt, NREC previews the Insight Live event on February 9. Betsy Dirksen Londrigan from Everything Local conference last week on interaction with growers and matching them up with programs offered by the USDA. Lauren Lurkins talks about her involvement in an EPA Farm Ranch Rural Communities advisory Committee (FRRCC) and updates us on the WOTUS Lawsuit. Charlyn Fargo talks price of eggs, al...

IFB President Richard Guebert talks AFBF annual meeting including Illinois policy adoption. Illinois Farm Bureau Consumer Engagement manager Gracie Pierson highlights the “We are the 96” ad campaign involving the Illinois Farm Families Coalition. Montgomery Farm Bureau Manager Katie Wilson introduces us to Carroll County Farm Bureau Manager Chas Heeren in her Manager to Manager segment. Alan Bjerg...

Kelly Estes, State Ag Pest Survey Coordinator. Getting set for 2023 survey season and talks 2023 threats. Luke Allen, Program Advisor District 2 FCAE, Highlights three new ag programs being created next school year in his district. Illinois Farm Bureau Associate Director of Local Government and Political Engagement Ryan Whitehouse previews Illinois Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Leadership Confe...

Tuesday’s show features a recap of the lame duck legislative in Springfield with Illinois Farm Bureau Director of State Legislation Kevin Semlow. We also get an update from the Illinois Soybean Association and talk weather with DTN agriculture meteorologist John Baranick.

Monday’s show features a conversation with Don Schaefer from the Mid-West Truckers Association. We also highlight the New Philadelphia historic site. We learn about an Attracting Rural Residents webinar and finish the show previewing a new market week with Comstock Investments Joe Camp.

Friday's show features an update from Mark Gebhards, who serves as Illinois Farm Bureau Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities. We visit with Jackie Sambursky from the Illinois Department of Agriclutre at the Everything Local Conference. And we finish the show highlighlighting the undefeated Black Hawk College soil judging team.

Illinois Director of Ag Jerry Costello opened the Everything Local-Specialty Growers Conference in Springfield celebrating local foods partnerships and the Illinois programs that celebrate the diversity in the state. Celebrating 50 year 4-H leader Joyce Smith in Mercer County. OSF’s Dr. Kurt Bloomstrand on the importance of calling 911 for an ambulance rather than driving yourself and knowing CPR....

We hear about a Counties of Excellence honor for the Cook County Farm Bureau in today’s show. We learn about Rules for the Road seminars coming up this winter. We talk about monthly Climate Webinars and finish Wednesday’s show with an update from Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.

Tuesday’s show features a conversation with Congressional Quarterly’s Ellyn Ferguson. We hear from Senate Ag Committee chief economist John Newton and also highlight Illinois Counties of Excellence from the AFBF annual meeting. We finish the show talking weather with meteorologist Dan Hicks from Freese-Notis Weather.

We talk all things economy with Illinois Farm Bureau Senior Economist Mike Doherty on Monday’s show. We also recognize Illinois Counties of Excellence at the AFBF Annual Meeting in Puerto Rico. And we preview a new market week with Comstock Investments Joe Camp.

Friday’s show features Illinois Farm Bureau Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities Mark Gebhards and Illinois Farm Bureau Director of Business and Regulatory Affairs Bill Bodine. We learn about the Most Endangered Historic Places List with Landmarks Illinois and talk garden catalogs with University of Illinois Extension’s Ken Johnson. We finish the show celebrating community pr...

Thursday’s show features reaction to the EPA’s WOTUS rule from Illinois Farm Bureau Director of Environmental Policy Lauren Lurkins. We get an update from the Illinois Beef Association and Illinois Ag in the Classroom. We preview the Illinois Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Conference. And the show finishes with a James Taylor interviewing a Dustin Hoffmann, not the musician and actor, but two fa...

We preview the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Assication convention on Wednesday's show. We get an update from the Illinois Ag Leadership Foundation and check in with Illinois Farm Bureau Associate Director of Commodity & Livestock Programs Tasha Bunting.

Tuesday's show features Jennifer Smith discussing the 2023 scholarship application process for the IAA Foundation. We talk the auction market with Kurt Campbell from BigIron Auctions. We check in with the Illinois FFA officer team and finish the show talking weather with DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

The first show of the year features Illinois Farm Bureau's Raelynn Parmely highlighting 2023 nutrient stewardship and pollinator conservation grants. We learn about the Illinois High School Glory Days website which memorializes 1,200 closed or defunct schools in Illinois. We also preview a new market week with Comstock Investments' Joe Camp.

Our final show of the year features some of Jim Taylor's favorite conversations duirng 2022, including Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, State Fair Ag Day and the best concession stand pork chop sandwich.

We get an update from NRCS in today's show. We learn about USDA Rural Development funding for Country Classic Cars in Staunton. We also have some best of conversations from 2022--including new National FFA officer Gracie Murphy, Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leader Evan Hultine, and ISU student Abigail Herbert recruiting future Redbirds during the National FFA Convention.

Wednesday’s show features a conversation with the National Association of Farm broadcasting Executive Director Tom Band. He discusses the lack of AM radio on the dash of eletric vehciles. We also check in with Illinois Farm Bureau’s Mike Doherty. He promotes the Illinois Wheat Association’s Double Crop Forum next month and also promotes completing the Census of Agriculture. We recap 2022 weather w...