University of Illinois Extension

Connect. Learn. Grow.

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.

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.

Creating a Bottle Terrarium

October 13: Explore the enclosed world of bottle terrariums, the self-contained plant environments within glass.

Respond to the 2020 Census.

An accurate count of Illinois residents directs funding for community programs and shapes important services and resources for the next decade. Submit your response by September 30, 2020.

Illinois Community Food Map

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.

En Español

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.

Master Gardener Trianing

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

Food Preservation Video Tutorials

From freezing to fermenting, the Fill Your Pantry video series has you covered when it comes to food preservation.

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.

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 growing in field
Research drives growing hemp industry
Industrial hemp is a new addition to Midwestern agriculture, and producers working with researchers as they develop practices in real time.
Graphic of tree stand safety text over photo of fall trees
Tree stand safety starts on the ground
No deer is worth falling 15 feet out of a tree. Tree stand falls are one of the most common hunting injuries that can be prevented with some simple safety measures such as always wearing a harness and choosing a sturdy tree.
Woman in kayak close to rocky bluff
Taking a deep dive into plant identification
Learning to identify plants is tricky, especially when they're aquatic. Extension Foresters led a kayak tour of Devils Kitchen Lake in Southern Illinois to help.
Find Food Illinois Community food map
Community map locates food assistance sites
Illinois residents can now find all local food resources in one spot. The new Find Food IL community food map makes it easy to locate participating SNAP, LINK, and WIC partners by zip code, as well as the nearest food pantries and school and summer meal sites.
Seeds spilling out of a blank packet
Do not plant seeds of unknown origins
As mystery packages with unidentified seeds have shown up in mailboxes across the U.S. over the past week, Illinois Extension experts urge people to never plant unidentified seeds.
A man crouches next to a drone preparing to take flight
Tracking down invasive species with drones
University of Illinois Extension Foresters have taken to the skies to see if drones can be used to find invasive plants.