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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.
Preserve Fresh Food
Preserving food can make the most of a big harvest so you can enjoy homegrown, locally purchased, or seasonal foods throughout the year. Choose from a variety of safe food preservation methods, and use a tested recipe.
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.
Lost or leading the way? Rare birds may signal shifting migration routes
On a 2009 hike in the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, a group of birders heard an otherworldly, ethereal bird song floating, flute-like, through the canyon. The hikers identified the singer as a brown-backed solitaire, recognizing immediately that the bird was very far from home. The…
Register for in-person pesticide applicator training clinics, testing offered statewide
URBANA, Ill. — Lead with experience, safety, awareness, and knowledge to help ensure safer pesticide application with training from the University of Illinois Pesticide Safety Education Program. Sign up for an in-person training and testing clinic offered across Illinois from December through…
Wetlands efficiently remove nitrogen pollution from surface water, leading to cost savings for municipalities
Wetlands are an important part of the ecological system, providing a myriad of benefits for people, wildlife, and the environment. They also serve as “nature’s kidneys,” filtering out pollutants from surface water. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds that…
