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University of Illinois Extension

Build your best life. Trust Extension to help.

Illinois Extension experts are here to help families, businesses, and communities solve problems and learn new skills with research-based webinars, virtual meetings, videos, and more.
Let's Get Started

Connect. Learn. Grow.

Spring Gardening Tips & How-Tos

From planning a native garden to growing vegetables in containers, our experts are ready to help you kick off the 2021 gardening season!

Let's Talk Money

Build confidence to make positive changes in your financial present and future by discovering debt repayment strategies on Feb. 23

Illinois Spring Gardening

Believe it or not, it's never too early to start making plans for this year's garden. Knowing when to plant for your area and getting your plants started right will help you maximize the growing season.

Webinars and Digital Training

Information you trust is just a click away. Illinois Extension’s high-quality programs are available for free online as live webinars. Miss a program? Check out the recordings.

Master Gardener Training

Gain practical experience and horticulture knowledge straight from Extension educators so you can positively impact your community.

Budget-Friendly Nutrition Tips

Make healthier choices for your family on any budget. Find your healthy lifestyle with Eat. Move. Save.

Advocate for the Environment

Love nature? The Master Naturalist program works with adult volunteers to support natural spaces and wildlife around Illinois as environmental stewards.

hemp plants in Illinois field
Hemp research a win-win for new Midwestern crop
Industrial hemp is one of the fasting growing crops across Midwestern fields and researchers are recruiting producers in the race to learn more. 
notepads for office support
New resource hub connects unit staff across state

Molly Foster, Elaine Kaple, and Amy Spence have a decade of combined knowledge and experience.

A boy and girl use post hole diggers in a forest
4-H service project brushes off invasives
In 1830, a young Abraham Lincoln traveled from Indiana with his family to settle in Illinois. Almost two centuries later, new young leaders are following in his footsteps by preserving the state’s natural legacy at his namesake park.
Toy turkey in small shopping cart on red background
Smaller turkeys, lower prices on Thanksgiving menu
With more intimate gatherings being the new norm for Thanksgiving and Christmas, small whole turkeys at lower prices are on the menu in 2020.
Diabetes awareness month
Diabetes Tools and Resources
1 in 10 people in the U.S. have diabetes. This collection of diabetes webinars, tools and resources on meal planning, stress management and other topics can help people with diabetes understand risk factors and adopt healthy behaviors to better manage their diabetes.
Lawn sign "2020 state outstanding master gardener award winner"
Illinois Master Gardener volunteers recognized for their dedication
You may not know the names of Illinois’ Master Gardeners, but you know their work. Horticulture is their passion and their mission is helping others learn to grow.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Response resources for COVID-19

The spread and mitigation of coronavirus (COVID-19) is an evolving concern for Illinois. This library of resources can help families, businesses, community leaders, and ag producers cope.

Find Local Food Resources

Find all food assistance sites closest to your Illinois zip code, including food pantries, school meal sites, and grocery stores and farmers markets that accept WIC/SNAP.

Economic and Functional Value

A new report finds that Extension provides more than $600 million annual benefit to Illinois, ten times its budget. Read the report.

En Espanol

La Extensión de la Universidad de Illinois es el principal alcance emblemático de la Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign, que ofrece programas educativos a los residentes de los 102 condados de Illinois, y mucho más.

Upcoming Events

March 07, 2021

  1. Montgomery County 4-H Shooting Sports: Archery
    Montgomery County Extension Office, #1 Industrial Park Dr. Hillsboro, IL 62049 (Montgomery County)

March 08, 2021

  1. 4-H Wellness Through Connection - Cooking with Family
    Online
  2. Little Dreamers Virtual!
    Online
  3. Pesticide Applicator License Testing
    8425 Katie Road, Clinton (DeWitt County)
  4. Exploring Farm Animals SPIN Club
    Online
More Events
Recent News
March 05, 2021
Communities searching for answers to food system gaps
March 05, 2021
Stay safe as you enter the fields: Electrical contact can happen in instant
March 05, 2021
Assortment of cool-season grasses add beauty to spring
March 05, 2021
Environmental webinars explore owls, native shade gardens
March 05, 2021
Wild game webinar combines hunting, cooking safety
More News Releases
Illinois Extension College of Agricultural Consumer & Environmental Sciences

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