Let us help you grow.

Events and Highlights

Inflation: How it Affects a Fixed-Income Budget | Lessons at the Library | Feb. 13

A free viewing session is offered at the Oregon Public Library at 10 am (no registration required). Learn strategies and resources to deal with inflation. In this session, we will dive deeper into what inflation is and how it affects our buying power, how we can adjust our budget with increasing prices, and provide resources to better understand the effects of inflation in our everyday lives.

Seed Starting and Seed Swap | Belvidere | Feb. 13

It may be cold outside, but now is a great time to start planning for your garden this year. Join Boone County Master Gardener Jennifer Crider at the Boone County Extension Meeting Room as she discusses starting your seeds indoors so they are ready to go for the growing season. After the presentation we will participate in a seed swap and explore the process of winter seed sowing. Registration is required- $5 registration fee.

Garderner's Pathway & Artisan Market | Feb. 22 | Sycamore

The annual Gardener's Pathway & Artisan Market returns! Proven Winners is sponsoring keynote speaker Kerry Ann Mendez, a nationally renowned garden educator, author, and design consultant. There will be three breakout sessions with 11 topics to choose from when registering. A $50 program fee will be collected. The day also includes a continental breakfast, lunch, and door prizes. Local artisans and nurseries will be selling garden-related items.

Title

PSEP Training & Testing

The PSEP Team has created an array of training courses to help prepare you for certification exams. Testing will be done in Oregon and Sycamore in Feb. and March. Check the registration links on this page.

Training and Testing In-Person Testing Sign Up

Register now for the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit | Freeport | Jan. 29

University of Illinois Extension is pleased to announce the annual Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit that will be held at Highland Community College Student Conference Center in Freeport, IL, on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, with the program running from 10 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Register and view more details here.

Master Gardener Training | Boone County | Pre-registration is open!

The 2025 Master Gardener training will be limited to 20 people. Preregister here. The training includes eight select Thursday evenings with in-person lessons and possibly a couple of field trips, TBA. Trainees will be responsible for studying out of class, which includes readings, viewing videos, and completing quizzes. The fee for the Master Gardener training is $200. This includes the printed manual for the training and educational supplies.

4-H Summer Camp | Registration is open

We are excited that 4-H Camp Registration is Open! We will again be attending Rock River Christian Camp in Polo, Illinois. Camp is open to all youth ages 8-14 by June 8. You do not have to be in 4-H to attend. The dates have been set for Sunday, June 8 - Thursday, June 12, 2025.

We are hiring!

Title

4-H Youth Development Educator & SNAP-Ed Community Worker

Join our team! The 4-H Youth Development Educator will provide educational leadership for 4-H program delivery in Boone, DeKalb, and Ogle Counties. A Master's Degree is required. The DeKalb County SNAP-Ed Community Worker will lead classes and provide information to local community members (adults and youth) in basic nutrition, physical activity, and food access for individuals and families in need. Both positions are full-time, paid time off, starting date as soon as possible, tuition reimbursement opportunities, insurance benefits, and more. Call our office with questions and get the application link at 815-732-2191. EEO Employer.

Events

Oglesby Agronomy Summit

January 23, 2025

Move More for Better Health

January 23, 2025

County

JoDaviess

Stephenson

Winnebago

2025 Driftless Region Beef Conference

January 23, 2025 - January 24, 2025

4-H Youth Meat Judging Series: West Peoria

January 25, 2025

More Events

News Releases

A wooden background painted teal with a word overlay reading Growing Great Vegetables.

January 21, 2025

Strengthen spring planting with tips from Growing Great Vegetables webinar series
URBANA, Ill. — As gardening continues to gain popularity, it is important to keep the learning growing. Whether it is skills needed for a large backyard garden or a few windowsill and porch pots, sharing the knowledge and how much fun gardening activities with others can be very fulfilling....

January 16, 2025

Register now for Gardener's Pathway and Artisan Market in Sycamore
DEKALB, Ill. - The annual Gardener's Pathway and Artisan Market returns to Sycamore on Feb. 22 at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau, 1350 W Prairie Dr, Sycamore, from 7:30 am to 2:45 pm. The Keynote speaker and presenter is Kerry Ann Mendez, who has over 25 years of professional and...

Tie dye blue and purple background with black Four Seasons Gardening text.

January 15, 2025

Chase away those winter blues with Four Seasons Gardening webinars
URBANA, Ill. — Thinking about spring planting and gardening while the snow falls can help to deal with the winter blues. The Four Seasons Gardening webinar series is back and begins Feb. 11. Two new winter sessions explore ways to sow annual...

yellow and blue background; laptop with canning photo

January 15, 2025

Prepare Now: Yes, You Can! Home Food Preservation Webinars
With a mild winter upon us, many are already dreaming of outdoor adventures and planning their springtime planting. While it's still a few months before we can dig into the dirt and prepare our gardens, why not use this time to learn a new skill?Stay warm this winter, and join us for our...

January 15, 2025

Songbirds socialize on the wing during migration, new study says
URBANA, Ill. — The night sky teems with migrating songbirds, aloft in their millions following routes etched in evolutionary time. But those flight paths may not be entirely innate, according to new research...

More News Releases

Programs We Offer

4-H Clubs