Making a Home
A Community in Conflict
Working for a Living
Farming in the Great Corn Belt
Abraham Lincoln in McLean County
Farming Resources – Newspapers and Magazines
Bloomington Pantagraph
Since the 1850s the Bloomington Pantagraph has provided daily reports on local and regional markets and informative articles on recent farm news. The newspaper has also sponsored farm events.
The Bloomington Pantagraph hired Arthur Bill, its first dedicated farm reporter in 1897, to provide up-to-date local and national farm news.
Arthur Bill was a ground-breaking editor who traveled to Central Illinois by horse and buggy to gather his stories. A farmer advocate, Bill assisted in the establishment of the University of Illinois Extension Service. He also wrote for other publications and was editor of the Farmers Voice, a regional farm magazine from 1909 to 1913.
Arthur Bill’s son, Frank, joined the Pantagraph as an agriculture assistant in 1916 and took over as farm editor when his father retired in 1935. So well liked by area farmers, they pooled their money to buy him a car. Bill helped establish the agricultural act that set up operation guidelines for farmer-owner grain elevators.
Stanley joined the Pantagraph in 1947, began writing for the farm department in 1954, and became the farm editor in 1960 when Frank Bill retired. That same year both he and Frank Bill were named the most outstanding agricultural newspaper writers in the nation. In 1964 Stanley traveled to Europe with Illinois farm representatives to report on their trade efforts. In 1972 he was invited by Governor Ogilvie to attend and report on the trade mission to Russia.
Chris became the newspaper’s first female farm reporter in 1978, and was promoted to farm editor in 1980. During her 28 years at the newspaper, Chris wrote about advances in farm equipment and seed technology, improvements in soil and water conservation methods, and captured images of agriculture across Central Illinois. In 1982 she traveled to the Soviet Union to write about global agriculture and trade issues. Anderson left the Pantagraph in 2006, but returned to her farm writing in 2014 when she replaced Dave McClelland as editor of the Illinois Farm Bureau FarmWeek newspaper.
Sponsored Events
Pantagraph sponsored Farm Day events included demonstrations of new equipment and farming practices.
In August of 1916 Bloomington’s Pantagraph both sponsored and reported on the local tractor show. Advertisements promoted the sale of many of the tractors and equipment demonstrated during Farm Day.
Horse feed advertisement
IHC advertisement
Magazines
Many farming magazines were available to those wishing to learn about the latest agricultural innovations and news.
Farmers Voice
In 1909 Pantagraph farm writer Arthur Bill was named editor of the Farmers Voice, first published in 1861.
Because Bill was based in Bloomington, numerous stories of regional farmers were published in this magazine.
Successful Heyworth farmer Richard Britt recorded the following in his diary:
“Remained at home all day, reading Prairie Farmer.”
— Richard Britt
April 1865
The cover of the July, 1911 edition featured images of the George Perrin Davis farm near Gridley. Inside the magazine, a story detailed the farming practices of Davis’ tenant S.H. Seitz.
The Prairie Farmer, the American Agriculturalist, Farm Journal, Farmers Voice, Successful Farming, and the Progressive Farmer were some of the popular magazines available to McLean County farmers.
The Prairie Farmer was first published in 1841.
The American Agriculturalist was first published in 1842.
