News Releases

A field of crops, the Morrow Plot, on the U of I campus
Defining the modern ‘land-grant mission’ at ACES
The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign often cites its land-grant legacy, but the land-grant university system is not a well-known...
A crop field irrigation system releasing water over experimental plots at the Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan.
How farmers respond to climate-related risk
URBANA, Ill. — As climate change increases the frequency of drought, excessive rainfall, and other extreme weather events, farmers face growing uncertainty about crop production. Understanding how farmers perceive and respond to that uncertainty can help improve agricultural...
Woman showing gardeners a pollinator garden.
Grow healthier ecosystems at home this pollinator month
URBANA, Ill. — Planting native flowers in a backyard, patio container, or community garden can provide critical food and habitat for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. This June, in recognition of National Pollinator Month, University of Illinois Extension encourages community members to...
A crop dusting plane flies above a farm field for aerial chemical application
Crop dusting: Exploring aerial application safety by plane or drone
URBANA, Ill. — One of the trademarks of summer is the sight of planes and helicopters making gravity-defying turns as they make passes up and down cornfields. While this evokes awe and amazement, it also elicits curiosity as to what they are doing and why. Additionally, when serious or fatal...
Three crop researchers stand posed in a knee high soybean field
New land grant research detects dicamba damage from the sky
URBANA, Ill — Drones can now detect subtle soybean canopy damage from dicamba at one ten-thousandth of the herbicide’s label rate — simulating vapor drift — eight days after application. This advancement in remote sensing from the University of Illinois...