Agriculture

Events

Grow Together: Rural and Urban Farming Connection

May 8, 2024

County

Kankakee

Grundy

Will

Outdoor Adventures Camp

June 10, 2024 - June 14, 2024

County

Madison

Youth Crop Scouting Competition

July 30, 2024

Blog Posts

Know your enemy: Identifying common weeds in Illinois fields

May 1, 2024

As the growing season begins in Illinois, it is not just our crops that will be sprouting. Growers should soon begin monitoring their fields for...

Cultivating sustainability: how farmers can improve soil health and become better stewards of the land

April 19, 2024

Stewardship (noun): the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. The National Association...

This Arbor Day consider introducing agroforestry practices on your farm

April 26, 2024

Happy Arbor Day! Every year people around the globe celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees in their communities. To celebrate Arbor Day the ag way,...

sun shining on water faucet dripping water

From field to faucet: The critical role farmers play in protecting our water

April 28, 2024

Farmers have a huge role to play in keeping our waters clean. According to the National Water Quality Assessment, agricultural runoff is the leading...

More Blogs

News Releases

Green grass with blue sky horizon chicken coup and chickens on grass

June 20, 2023

McHenry County Farm Stroll 2023
McHenry County Farm Stroll 2023 Offers Tours of 11 Family-Owned Small Farms and McHenry County College Student Farm Woodstock, Ill. – Come out for an autumn day in the country! On Sunday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., McHenry County will host its annual Farm Stroll, a free self-...

Youth teams standing at a crop scouting station discussing plants with a researcher.

May 1, 2024

Illinois crop competition calls for youth scouting teams
The Illinois Youth Crop Scouting Competition is not just any competition. It is a unique opportunity for agriculture students to showcase skills and knowledge while working on a team competing for a prize. The team...

Up close view of a calculator laying next to corn kernels and soybeans.

April 3, 2024

Determining cash rent on Illinois farmland
URBANA, Ill. — One of the most consistently asked questions to University of Illinois Extension offices across the state is, what is the going rate for cash rent for farmland? Cash rent rates are a common yet recurring question that is...

A bearded man in a hat stands next to large farming equipment

March 21, 2024

Illinois study: Systematic review of agricultural injuries can help inform safety measures
URBANA, Ill. — Agricultural occupations are hazardous with one of the highest rates of workplace injuries and fatalities in the U.S. The manual and often strenuous nature of the work, combined with the use of machinery and exposure to environmental hazards create a challenging work...

More News

Videos

New Tools for Healthy Waterway

The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy is a multi-agency partnership that works to keep our waterways and everything downstream healthy. Explore the three new best practices that have recently been added to the list of recommended practices: water and sediment control basins, saturated...

Edge of Field Practices: Water Quality Solutions for Farmers and Landowners

More tile drainage is installed in Illinois and the Midwest every year in agricultural fields. Tile drainage allows farmers to optimize spring planting. It has also been shown to contribute nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways. Explore these edge-of-field conservation practices farmers and...