From The Desk Down State

Many say the only constant in life is change. We see this as businesses continually adapt to remain competitive and profitable, and schools respond to economic trends to produce graduates that can succeed at jobs many of us never thought would even exist when we were young. While the rate of change can be dizzying, one thing that will never change is the value and importance of the Illinois farmer.

I was born and raised in Northwest Illinois, home to several of the more than 70,000 farms in this state. My dad was a hog farmer and later a farm manager, and like many others from rural...