Trees in neighborhoods enhance our environment by creating beautiful green landscapes, providing climbing fun for kids, and offering us shade on sunny days. More importantly, trees play vital roles in our ecosystems, including storing carbon, which is advantageous when discussing the management of...
Around the world we see countries tapping into renewable energy as sustainability and innovation are becoming higher priorities. Investing in research on how we can better care for our earth and utilize renewable energy can reshape our lives for a cleaner and brighter future. However, the rate...
Fall-blooming plants help prolong the beauty of our gardens even after most plants have faded or finished blooming for the year. They provide a vital food source for pollinators that are still active, foraging to prepare for the winter when fewer flowers are in bloom. Both annual and perennial...
July is the perfect summer month. As a kid it was a month with no schoolwork, my favorite summer camp, and many days spent outside in the sun. From playing in the backyard and visiting parks with friends, to days at the community pool, one of my favorite feelings was coming home and...
The next installment of my tri-county farmer interview series brought me to Panter Ridge Farms, owned and operated by Ashley and Nathan Hodel. Their farm, in El Paso, IL, spans 23 acres and is surrounded by the rolling hills and valleys of the Mackinaw River watershed. Ashley and...
Embrace Self-Sufficiency: Kickstart Your Modern Homesteading AdventureHave you ever wanted to learn how to do any of the following?Make sourdough breadFerment vegetablesKeep bees or chickensCompost kitchen and yard wasteGrow better vegetablesStart a small family orchardParticipate...
Growing up, my family raised Holstein cattle, which my siblings and I have grown to love. Although this is a well-known dairy breed, my family did not raise Holsteins for milk; instead, my father raised bull calves from a few days old up to slaughter weight for beef production. Most of the...
The soothing floral fragrance of lavender is easily recognized in any garden. Its silvery, serrated foliage and bluish-purple flowers both contain scented oil glands, making it uniquely fragrant. Bees and other pollinators are attracted to the floral scent and prominent levels of nectar in the...
The stream water quality monitoring season may be ending, but it remains important to understand how we monitor our streams. From May 1 to the end of June, River Watch volunteers from across the state wade into planned water sites to collect data on the stream’s appearance, turbidity,...
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The next stop in my tri-county farmer interview series brought me to Garden Gate Farm in Fairbury, Illinois, to talk to the Rinkenberger family. On the way up the driveway, I smelled freshly blooming lilacs, saw a handful of pigs in their pen, witnessed many vegetable...
