Illinois
How Illinois soybean farmers deal with the effects of climate change
WATERMAN, Ill. (CBS) – Illinois is the top grower of soybeans in the U.S., most of which is used to feed the chicken and beef eaten by consumers, but climate change is affecting local farmers and may end up affecting what shoppers pay at the store.
About an hour west of Chicago, the pace is a little slower in DeKalb County, where Ryan Frieders, a seventh-generation farmer, and his family grow crops on about 2,400 acres, an area about 10 times the size of Millennium Park.
“We have some of the best soils in the world,” Frieders said.
And no one watches the weather more closely than a farmer.
“Honestly, I think I have five different weather apps on my phone, and I probably check them over a dozen times a day,” he said.
The land has been in the Frieders’ family for 60 years, and Ryan’s father, Ronald, lives just a few miles down the road.
“I graduated in 1970 and basically walked out of high school and started farming with my folks,” said Ronald Frieders.
The elder Frieders said that weather has “always been a challenge,” but it seems that challenge is getting more extreme.
“Everything’s changing it seems like, the temperatures are getting hotter than normal, the water levels are lower than normal,” Ronald said.
Ryan added they’re faced with longer periods of a lack of rain, or what might be called a “flash drought.” Sometimes, they’re faced with more rain than usual, which could delay the planting of their crops.
“It affects our entire year of the farm,” Ryan said.
The changes are all consistent with the Fifth National Climate Assessment’s expectations for Midwest agriculture in a warming world, which include:
- “Excessive spring rain delaying planting.”
- “Rapid transitions between flood and drought.”
- “Warmer temperatures stressing crops.”
Ronald said 2021 was the most difficult harvest that he’s ever experienced.
“Our crops were flattened,” he said.
That came about due to worsening thunderstorm wind damage, which is also linked to climate change in a new study. Ryan said the changes in weather patterns and their effect on crops also has an affect on the farm’s income.
Michael Langemeier, a professor of agriculture economics at Purdue University, said the weather changes are something farmers are discussing more and more.
“I don’t know if it’s directly impacting what the consumers pay to a large degree, yet,” Langemeier said.
He and his team have surveyed 400 farmers nationwide. He asked farmers about how worried they were about the changing weather patterns, and about 25% said they were either “very worried” or “fairly worried.”
“I thought that was a relatively high percent,” Langemeier said.
He added the farmers didn’t talk much about what those changes might be attributed to, “They just talk about it as different, and we’ve got to think about how we’re going to respond to these changes.”
Ryan said it might be difficult to understand how glaciers melting at the earth’s poles affect their farm, “but then you see things happening that aren’t the same as they used to be, and you tend to wonder if the things are more related than you ever thought they were.”
The Frieders farm installed solar panels to lower their carbon footprint and has made changes to their operation in response to the changes in the weather.
Data from the Illinois Soybean Association show that crop yield has not changed significantly over the last decade.
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Combined state and federal taxes would take more than 50% of the top-end income for 22,000 Illinois small businesses.
Proposals in the Illinois General Assembly could slam massive tax hikes onto small businesses, the state’s primary job creator historically and in the recovery from the COVID-19 downturn.
One measure would punish 22,020 Illinois small businesses with a huge increase in their marginal state income tax rate and create a top tax rate of nearly 50.3% for them, once all state and federal income taxes are factored in.
S-corporations and partnerships, which “pass-through” their business income to their owners, who pay taxes as individuals, would see their top marginal state income tax rate jump from 4.95% to 7.95%, a 61% hike.
That would happen because the legislation, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 21, adds a 3% income tax on income above $1 million. It is scheduled for a hearing April 23 at which it could pass out of committee and go to a potential full House vote.
Research has shown that an increase in the top marginal tax rate is associated with a decrease in entrepreneurs’ hiring activity and lower wages for their employees.
Illinois has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and among the slowest wage growth. These are exacerbated by some of the highest state and local tax burdens in the nation, including the second-highest property taxes and eighth-highest sales taxes.
In 2017 Illinois residents endured the largest permanent income tax hike in state history, when lawmakers increased the rate by 32%, from 3.75% to 4.95%.
Illinois already pushes out more businesses than virtually any other state. The “millionaire’s tax” could make the situation even worse. Illinoisans should reject this call for higher taxes on the state’s vital small business community.
Contact your state representative to stop the small business tax hike here.
SYCAMORE, Ill. – A Sycamore mother said she is still waiting for justice more than two years after her teenage son was stabbed to death.
The case is back in court this week, where a judge will consider a key request that could change how the case moves forward.
What we know:
A mother said her son’s life was cut short during a confrontation that turned deadly.
Heather Gerken said her 17-year-old son, Kaleb McCall, was stabbed during an incident in September 2023. She said Kaleb agreed to meet another teen for what he believed would be a fist fight while sticking up for a friend.
According to Gerken, the other teen, who was 15 at the time, pulled a knife and stabbed Kaleb in the chest. Kaleb later died from his injuries.
Gerken said a jury later found that teen guilty of second-degree murder after the defense argued he acted in self-defense.
Dig deeper:
The case is not over.
Gerken says the defendant’s attorneys are now trying to move the case out of adult court and into juvenile court. That decision could impact how the teen is ultimately sentenced.
What they’re saying:
Gerken said the legal process has been long and frustrating.
She said the case has stretched on for more than two and a half years and that ongoing court proceedings have made it difficult for her to grieve her son.
“He was everybody’s big brother,” Gerken said. “He had the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. He enjoyed fishing and being outside, and he was the best gift giver. He always got me flowers for every little holiday. Just a very thoughtful boy.”
Gerken also said the possibility of the case moving to juvenile court is especially upsetting, as she continues to push for what she believes is justice for her son.
“I don’t want anybody else’s child to die the way that my son died,” Gerken said. “Caleb is my whole world. I gave birth to him at 17 and he changed my life completely. He made me a better person. He taught me what real love truly is…And I just miss him so much more every day. And just knowing that he died the way he did. It makes me sick.”
What’s next:
The case returns to court Thursday morning.
A judge is expected to determine whether the case remains in adult court or is moved to juvenile court, a decision that could shape what happens next in the case.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Lauren Scafidi.
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