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Turkey Tips and Safety
Take the stress and guesswork out of preparing a holiday turkey. Find trusted, tested guidance on thawing a frozen turkey safely, techniques for cooking a delicious turkey, and best practices for using up leftovers.
Extension's New Director
Matthew Vann begins his role as Illinois Extension's new associate dean and director Sept. 22. A lifelong champion of agriculture and community engagement, Vann steps into this role with a bold vision for the future.
Wildlife is Everywhere
Learn how to support Illinois wildlife and navigate everyday wildlife encounters with research-based information you can trust.
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SNAP-Ed: Nutrition Education That Works
SNAP-Education transforms the health of our Illinois communities, providing evidence-based nutrition education, healthy messaging, and strategic partnerships to deliver services. In 2024, Illinois SNAP-Ed reached over 1 million residents through the Eat.Move.Save. program, which helps SNAP participants stretch their food dollars, shop for and prepare healthy meals, and adopt more physically active lifestyles.
- Illinois SNAP-Ed returns up to $9.54 for each dollar spent on programming by reducing obesity, food insecurity, and healthcare costs.
- Illinois SNAP-Ed is estimated to prevent 5,060 cases of obesity and 570 cases of food insecurity for Illinois adults and children in a single year.
- Illinois SNAP-Ed is estimated to generate discounted future societal benefits between $76.0 million and $135.3 million for one year of programming.
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A Strategic Path for Extension Impact
Throughout 2023 and early 2024, Illinois Extension, in partnership with Huron Consulting Group, engaged in a comprehensive planning process to refine and refresh its core priorities, goals, and paths to success through internal and external stakeholder surveys, focus groups, and listening sessions statewide. The research yielded vital findings around Extension’s engagement, services, partnerships, and impact and identified shifting trends, demographics, and needs that will impact Illinois residents.
Tree care expertise grows through Illinois Extension webinar series
URBANA, Ill. — Tree care isn't always led just by certified arborists, so University of Illinois Extension is ensuring that everyone has access to research-backed information on practicing proper tree care.
“Trees are more than scenery, they’re an essential part of our daily lives,”…
Keeping food safe amidst food insecurity
URBANA, Ill. — Food insecurity continues to be a major issue in the United States, and the recent lapse in SNAP benefits has worsened struggles for many families. When low-income households face even a brief break in assistance, they often have to make impossible choices between groceries,…
Terrestrial biodiversity grows with tree cover in agricultural landscapes
Farmers plant or preserve riparian buffers for various reasons, such as improving water quality, controlling erosion, or maintaining hunting habitat. Now, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign underscores the benefits of riparian buffers to terrestrial…
Lawrence County-SPARK at the Library: Homemade Butter
Cloverbud Holiday Ornament Workshop
Pollinator Garden | Belvidere