Page 16 2026 Fall Farm Outlook Lincoln Daily News Oct 2026 extension economists. This anonymized data allows researchers to access genuine, comprehensive agricultural data without compromising individual producer privacy. Collaboration with University of Illinois ACES As FBFM collaborates with the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. Westen said financial data is shared annually in March once financial and production records are finalized. This information is then summarized in farmdocDaily, which shows data from farms and analyzes the financial trends, comparing them to previous years. Recent data from FBFM is shared in the September 18, 2026, farmdocDaily report “2025 Illinois Farm Earnings Improve but Remain Below Recent Averages” by Bradley Zwilling. Zwilling states, “based on records from 1,927 certified usable farms enrolled in the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association (FBFM), average returns to farm operators’ labor and management increased in every region of Illinois in 2025 compared with 2024. However, returns remained below the five-year average.” These records show “although yields and costs were similar to the previous year, earnings improved because commodity prices exceeded beginning-of-year inventory values and farmers received Farmer Bridge Assistance payments. Higher livestock prices also increased returns for livestock farms.”
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