Pigs at family-friendly fairs are responsible for infecting children with a type of swine flu not previously seen in humans, according to a report published by Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In August, the CDC confirmed variant swine flu viruses in 18 people -- 16 of them children -- who attended agricultural fairs in Michigan and Ohio.

The looming failure of free trade talks with the European Union would derail Canada's push to reduce its dependence on the United States and potentially complicate negotiations with other nations, such as India and China.  The EU's hopes of signing the pact this week appeared to evaporate on Monday as the Belgian government failed to win the consent of regional authorities necessary to approve the deal.  The European deal would have given Canada preferential access to a market of 500 million people, more than the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), at a time when the U.S.-Canadian

While the lifting of a $100 cap on Cuban cigars and their famous rum has gotten headlines, it’s the lifting of other trade restrictions with the island country that has Illinois companies in a position to profit.  President Barack Obama’s latest decree allows for tractors and certain agricultural products like pesticides and fertilizers to be sold on credit.  Before, Cuban business had to be done with cash-in-hand and often pushed the island’s business elsewhere.

The American Royal Association announced that it will move out of Kansas City, Mo., where it has been since its beginning, to Wyandotte County.  Although its lease with Kansas City, Mo., is not up until 2045, FOX 4 first reported in May that a board member for the American Royal revealed they were leaning toward leaving Kansas City and the location at Kemper Arena, and moving their headquarters to Kansas City, Kan.  The city of Kansas City, Mo., has been looking at proposals to repurpose Kemper, which would make it unsuitable for the American Royals' needs.

The drama over possible illegal use of dicamba continues. The Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that it executed federal search warrants at several southeastern Missouri locations as part of an investigation into alleged misuse or misapplication of dicamba onto herbicide-tolerant soybeans and cotton.  The agency said in a formal statement that the activity was part of an ongoing criminal inquiry and stems from widespread complaints of damage to sensitive crops across Missouri and several other states in the Midwest and Southeast.

One day this June, Wilkes County Sheriff Chris Shew found 22 patients with mental health and substance abuse problems crowding the local hospital’s emergency department, waiting for treatment, transportation or other help.  For Shew, the pileup required his department to provide a deputy around the clock due to the presence of people under voluntary or involuntary commitment at the Wilkes Regional Medical Center. All too often, patients in need of psychiatric services end up in local hospital emergency departments, because there’s no where else to get services.

A webinar: Science points to runoff from agricultural fields as a cause of elevated levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorous in our nation’s waterways, leading to Harmful Algal Blooms, hypoxia and other water quality issues.  In this webinar, Hall will present an overview of different approaches states are taking to address water quality impacts from the surface application of agricultural nutrients, from voluntary to mandatory efforts.   Hall will highlight the most recent and innovative state-based efforts, share data on water quality improvements related to reduction efforts and analyze how di

A drive 30 minutes north of Omaha, Neb., leads to the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant. It's full of new equipment. There's a white concrete box building that's still under construction. It's licensed until 2033. But the plant is closing Monday. The Fort Calhoun plant cranked out electricity for 43 years, and it was licensed for another 17. Decommissioning will cost up to $1.5 billion, and take up to 60 years to complete. Still, Tim Burke figures eating all of that is cheaper than keeping the plant in production. Burke runs the Omaha Public Power District, which owns Fort Calhoun.

Minnesota - Winona County commissioners on Tuesday ordered the county attorney to finalize language that would make it the first county in Minnesota to ban the highly contentious industry of frac sand mining. After lengthy discussion weighing several options, commissioners voted 3-2 for language that would impose an outright ban on all industrial mineral operations, including frac sand mining, that initially was proposed last spring. A final vote is expected at the board's Nov.