New Rochelle Green Thumbs 4-H Club grows vegetables with local youth
OREGON, Ill. - Are you looking for a fun, friend-filled, free club to learn about vegetables and gardening? Ogle County 4-H is excited to partner with Flagg-Rochelle Public Library and the Ogle County Master Gardeners to teach youth about growing vegetables. This new horticulture club, Rochelle...
Sign up for in-person pesticide applicator training clinics, testing across Illinois
URBANA, Ill. — Certain pesticide applications require that the applicator be licensed and certified. It is important to ensure this training and certification is done before making a pesticide application. Putting understanding, experience, safety, awareness, and knowledge to the test helps...
Illinois Extension establishes advancement position to further mission
URBANA, Ill. — A new advancement position for Illinois Extension has been created that will focus on expanding fundraising efforts to further Extension’s land-grant mission of serving the residents of Illinois....
Secure Your Spot for the Ready…Set…Grow… Gardening Workshop!
Garden enthusiasts, rejoice! University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners of Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside Counties are thrilled to announce the much-anticipated return of the "Ready…Set…Grow…" gardening workshop on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Loveland Community Building in Dixon...
Check-in your bee hotel to support pollinator research
URBANA, Ill. — Bee hotels buzz with activity, but is it the right kind? A graduate student at University of Illinois is researching bees and needs help, in the form of donated used bee hotels, from the public to understand if these man-made nests are helping or harming bee populations in...
Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grants Available
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) announces $6.4 million in competitive grant funds will be available for projects designed to help strengthen the state’s food supply chain. The program, Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program (RFSI), is a cooperative...
Illinois SNAP-Ed summits bring awareness to hunger, food insecurity
URBANA, Ill. — One in eleven people in Illinois struggle with food insecurity daily, including one in nine children, according to Feeding America. When families are hungry, making a healthy food choice is not always an easy...
Use weed clues to dig up environmental issues like fertility, soil compaction, moisture issues
Winter is a good time to make garden plans, and one constant issue gardeners face every growing season is weeds. While weeds can be frustrating, they can also be saying more about a yard than you think.
Weeds can be found in a wide range of locations. Some weedy plants are more likely to...
Put Ready…Set…Grow…on Your March Calendars: A Blooming Celebration of Gardening Wisdom
In a delightful ode to the forthcoming spring, the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners of Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside Counties proudly announce the return of the highly anticipated "Ready…Set…Grow…" gardening workshop. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 23, 2024, as...
Ask questions, get answers for planting season at 2024 Illinois Crop Management Conference
URBANA, Ill. — As the new year begins, crop producers, consultants, and industry professionals already have the year’s crop on their minds. Stay up to date with research updates and opportunities impacting statewide crop production at the 2024 Illinois Crop Management Conference with...
Thriving Communities webinars offered for grant navigation, strategic planning
URBANA, Ill. — Sustainable development in Illinois encounters challenges in balancing resource demand with responsible management. Transitioning to sustainable infrastructure involves substantial investment and planning, including upgrading existing structures for energy efficiency and...
Northern Illinois 4-H Summer Camp - change your child's life!
OREGON, Ill. - Registration for 4-H Summer Camp 2024 is open! Camp is set for June 9-13, 2024, at Rock River Christian Camp, Polo, IL. Sign up today to get your child in on all the fantastic fun!
4-H Camp is a five-day, four-night residential camping experience that is conducted...
Weather a changing climate on the farm now and in the future
The only thing certain about modern farming is that things are always changing, and today’s weather isn’t your grandparents’ weather. Growing seasons are shifting, and extreme weather events like storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires are becoming more common. The University of Illinois...
Soil Health to be discussed at Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit
Is building soil health while maintaining crop yields possible in Northern Climates? Over the past five years, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been exploring the possibilities of incorporating reduced tillage and winter rye into corn and soybean crop rotations. This work has proven very...
Register for a local 2024 Certified Livestock Manager Training session
URBANA, Ill. — Depending on an operation’s size, livestock manager training certification is required for many Illinois production livestock facilities. Having certified individuals on staff strengthens an operation through shared knowledge and building conversations with individuals responsible...
Shifting USDA plant hardiness map reflects changing climate, changes for plants
URBANA, Ill. — On a cold, blustery January day, it may be hard to remember that 2023 was the hottest year on record. But the newest update to the plant hardiness map, in which half the country shifted to warmer zones, is a stark reminder that the climate is changing and changing fast.
“...
Explore green space stewardship practices, emerging trends at 2024 Gateway Green Conference
URBANA, Ill. — Evolving research and environmental changes make it more important than ever for professionals who work with trees, landscapes, natural areas, and parks to remain current with responsible stewardship practices, understand how to successfully manage emerging diseases and pests, and...
Scaling up urban agriculture: Research team outlines roadmap
URBANA, Ill. — Urban agriculture has the potential to decentralize food supplies, provide environmental benefits like wildlife habitat, and mitigate environmental footprints, but researchers have identified knowledge gaps regarding both the benefits and risks of urban agriculture and the social...
