Illinois Extension Offers Support For Farmers Experiencing Economic Stress

Feb 10, 2026

By Emily Hansen

As farmers across the state face mounting economic pressures, University of Illinois Extension reminds agricultural producers, advisers, and their families that free help is available wherever you are.

Assistance resources range from mental health vouchers and crisis support lines to comprehensive financial planning tools. Economic stress takes a personal toll. Financial uncertainty and farm-related stress can increase the risk of mental health challenges among producers and their families, with farmers experiencing suicide at over three times the rate of the general population.

“The farming and ag sector is facing many challenges when planning farm operations for 2026,” says Travis Burke, assistant dean and program leader for agriculture and agribusiness at Illinois Extension. “These resources are here to help and support the individuals feeding our world.”

Tight margins, unpredictable markets, and rising input costs can make it harder to carry on with day-to-day farming operations.

“We want farmers to know, you are not alone,” says Emily Hansen, commercial agriculture educator with Illinois Extension. “Help is always available.”

With 16 commercial agriculture educators and specialists working throughout the state, Illinois Extension is ready to help farmers, producers, landowners, researchers, advisers, and anyone who needs assistance navigating these challenging times. View the statewide Extension office map or visit go.illinois.edu/ExtensionOffice.

Farmers dedicate so much of their livelihood to providing for others. Especially in these difficult times, remember to check on the people in your life and share these resources with those who call agriculture home.

Source : illinois.edu

Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.