Why would he attack corn and soybean farmers like this?!?

With fertilizer prices soaring, it's the perfect time to use precious fertilizer to burn even more surplus corn in gas tanks.

At least according to Farm Bureau, members of Congress from both parties and Gov. Pritzker.

Illinois Dems and the Farm Bureau are in lockstep: we should burn excess corn to artificially inflate corn prices, even if it means more water pollution and higher food prices.

I think that’s a bad deal! www.wvik.org/wvik-top-sto...

You’ll never guess which one I am! www.wvik.org/wvik-top-sto...

USDA Seeks Farmer Input in Fertilizer Price Collusion Probe - Farm Policy News The Trump administration is seeking information from farmers to help with an ongoing Justice Department probe into high costs for fertilizer, machinery and other farm inputs. The Department of Justice...

Pretty obvious that tariffs and the war in Iran are increasing the prices of farm inputs. But Admin doesn't want anyone to think about that 🤷‍♀️. farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2026/04/usda...

Yea you shouldn’t put any faith in corporate pledges.

But the “sustainable fuel” could have been totally unsustainable corn ethanol-derived jet fuel anyway.

Struggling to build the massive, decade-long, $1.1 billion project to militarize Brandon Road Lock and Dam to keep carp out of the Great Lakes?

May I suggest: just close the lock.

Faster. Cheaper. More effective. And wouldn't stir up the toxic coal waste dumped along the river.

N.B. Farmers would still allowed to spray near schools, playgrounds, daycares!

This does not take away farmers' God-given right to spray little kids with all kinds of pesticides!

It simply says they have to notify them. We think that's pretty reasonable.

We've introduced a bill requiring certified pesticide applicators applying within 1/2 mile of schools, parks, and daycares to notify those facilities at least 72 hours in advance.

You can help today by filing a witness slip as a "proponent" here: ilga.gov/house/hearin...

MAHgA

🫡

I missed it in real time, but I watched the recording.

I'm gonna watch!

Trump: We're in a ceasefire with Iran.

Israel:

Schrödinger's Strait

Climate change is a hoax but also the public is going to pay Exxon and Chevron to inject carbon in the outer continental shelf.

Up in smoke The prairie burn

You can read Leslie's lovely writing about the experience here: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Some farmer friends (yes, it's true!) invited me out to take photos and videos of their prairie burn last month.

It's inspiring to see people take a piece of land and work toward its restoration—a project that should generate as much awe & admiration as a trip to the moon.

Iowa Senate Approves Bill Making it Harder to Sue Factory Farms For Polluting If passed by the governor, the bill would protect farms from lawsuits surrounding their greenhouse gas emissions.

Bad news in Iowa: "The Iowa Senate approved a bill to shield factory farms in the state from lawsuits regarding their greenhouse gas emissions." It would make it harder to hold CAFOs "legally liable for damages caused by their emissions." sentientmedia.org/iowa-approve...

.@govpritzker.illinois.gov is very vocal about pushing higher ethanol blends.

But very quiet on protecting the last 10% of Illinois' wetlands.

Despite their enormous value filtering pollution & preventing floods.

Despite devastating federal rollbacks to wetlands protections.

So disappointing.

I do, yes. I'm a big admirer of what Chris has done to raise the profile of these issues.

This. Is. Awesome. (But also tragic & foolish.)

Thank you EWG team for digging into the cropping-in-floodplain data.

In Illinois, 1.5+ million acres of cropland are in the floodplain,
944,420 of those acres planted in corn.

And you're subsidizing the crop insurance.

Land that should be wetlands.

"When pollution gets bad enough in the rivers supplying Iowa’s largest city with drinking water, it costs Des Moines around $16,000 a day to run a special system to filter out dangerous nitrates."

Polluter pays? No, public pays.

article by @melinawalling.bsky.social

Warming winters lead to more nitrate pollution in the drinking water near farms Pollution levels in Iowa's water have been abnormally high this winter. That's forcing the state's largest city, Des Moines, to run an expensive nitrate removal system that they usually only use in th...

More ethanol. More corn. More fertilizer. More nitrate in your water.

Policymakers keep pushing for more, more, more, but don't have the courage to make ag actually address its vast pollution problem.

So they'll ask for more of your money to fund failed voluntary conservation.

Homemade egg dyes: the aftermath

Pritzker wants E15.

Illinois needs W15.

We’ve lost 90% of our wetlands. Restoring to even 15% would do more for water quality, flood control, and climate than every gallon of ethanol ever blended.

W15 now, @govpritzker.illinois.gov!

Unfortunately Robert’s attitude and honesty are not the norm among the non profit and advocacy people in the Midwest. Too many of them are as afraid to speak up as professors in the land grant university system.

Ask me how I know about both groups lol

Lol, I think they might have regretted it.

A Champaign-Urbana magazine asked me, "What can locals to improve ag/water?"

As you can see I mentioned that UIUC takes money from polluters and played a large role in degrading our water & land, and pressure should be exerted accordingly.

I don't even work there, but hoo boy, did I hear about it.

Preach.