Marshall-Putnam 4-H Cloverbud Halloween Party
All youth ages 5-7, start your Halloween weekend with Marshall-Putnam 4-H! The Federation club is hosting a Halloween event for all Cloverbuds (youth ages 5-7) on October 29, 2022. Wear your Halloween costume, come to the University of Illinois Marshall-Putnam Extension office at 509 Front St,...

University of Illinois Master Gardener Presents Bulbs: Basics, Myths and Truth
Master Gardener Audrey Moreno delivered a workshop on Fall bulbs, entitled Bulbs: Basics, Myths and Truth at the Utica Public Library on Tuesday September 27, 2022. Participants learned about the proper planting, care, and maintenance of Spring flowering bulbs.  Flowering bulbs are very...

Find gourds absorbing? Try growing a loofah sponge
URBANA, Ill. – Gardens can grow a variety of surprising things, but one item you wouldn’t expect to find growing next to beans and tomatoes is a loofah sponge. Still, one member of the Cucurbitaceae family does just that. While most people think a loofah sponge comes from the ocean or at...

Nominate bulls for 2023 IPT Bull Sale
URBANA, Ill. – Breeders must nominate bulls by Dec. 1 for consideration to the 2023 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale. The sale will be Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and includes old and young bulls. Young bulls must have calved between Jan. 1, 2021...

Comfort Foods in the Slow Cooker at Reddick Public Library
The leaves are changing, and fall is in the air. With the change of season, many are starting to enjoy seasonal recipes that bring about a feeling of comfort. Join Susan Glassman, University of Illinois Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness for our class...

Learn to Make Healthy Desserts at the Ohio Public Library
Can dessert be healthy without even realizing it? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average American is eating about 17 teaspoons of sugar a day. Cakes, cookies, and pies all contain added sugars and don’t forget the scoop of ice cream! Desserts tend to be filled with loads...

4-H member's work on invasive pests wins National Youth in Action Award
CHEVY CHASE, MD – Matias Habib, 17, of Kendall County is the 2023 4-H Youth in Action Award for Agriculture sponsored by Bayer through the National 4-H Council. Habib will be recognized nationally for developing his own patent-pending bio-pesticide and...

Illinois 4-H’er selected as runner up for national 4-H award
LITCHFIELD, Ill. – Elaan Bader from Litchfield is a runner up for the 2023 4-H Youth in Action Award for Agriculture. Bader is recognized nationally for her dedication to pollinator education and environmental benefits. Elaan attributes the spark she has for agriculture and the...

Marshall-Putnam 4-H offering Public Speaking Made Easy Workshop
Are you uneasy with public speaking? Marshall-Putnam 4-H is offering a 2-day public speaking workshop.  Public Speaking Made Easy workshop is open to all youth 8-18. Session 1:...

Explore agriculture technology to inform the future of digital ag
URBANA, Ill. – The agriculture industry is changing – driverless full-sized tractors can till fields and robots are milking cows and feeding calves. New digital farming technologies like robots and autonomous field equipment are coming out every day. But these labor-saving machines have also...

Teen competitors enjoy fun, fellowship on the range
BUNKER HILL, Ill. – The best teenage 4-H shotgun shooters from Illinois gathered to shoot a full 100 rounds of trap shooting at Brittany Shooting Park near Bunker Hill on Sept. 24. Sixty-four participants competed at this year’s event. While fall is a busy season for most youth,...

4-H loom weaving workshop offered for Cloverbud youth
Create a blanket for a llama friend during the Cloverbud Llama Loom Workshop.  On Tuesday, November 22nd from 5:00 – 6:00 pm, youth ages 5-7 will learn basic loom weaving techniques during this...

Teen competitors 'aim' for fun
PEKIN, Ill. – The best teenage 4-H archery shooters from the state competed recently at the State 4-H Archery competition held Sept. 17 in Pekin. Forty-seven shooters, alongside 4-H volunteers, spent a full day on the range shooting at three different scoring events including 3-D archery,...

Give summer-blooming bulbs a second chance, store them over winter
URBANA, Ill – Plants, such as cannas, caladiums, dahlias, elephant ears, gladiolus, and tuberous begonia, can make a great addition to the landscape. These plants are commonly referred to as tender bulbs or summer-blooming bulbs. Not all of them actually grow from bulbs, but this is what...

Hall High School Conservation Garden is Saving Species!
Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists from the Bureau, LaSalle and Marshall-Putnam University of Illinois Extension program visited Hall High School Conservation Garden on September 15th.   The day was spent engaged with students demonstrating how to save the world one seed at a time...

Extension Master Gardener Conference reaffirms value of community horticulture
JOLIET, Ill. – Illinois volunteers were welcomed to Chicagoland for the Illinois Master Gardener State Conference in Tinley Park Sept. 9 as they returned to in-person training.  “We are excited to again gather over 280 volunteers from across the state for our annual conference,”...

As you hunt, look out for power lines and poles
Stay safe this hunting season in more ways than one SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Now that hunting season is upon us, Safe Electricity reminds hunters to survey their surroundings before aiming at the next big prize. Take a moment to look up and out for...

Prepare your trees for severe weather
URBANA, Ill. – Spring showers, summer thunderstorms, a winter dusting of snow; these are familiar weather events for Midwesterners, but as climate changes so do weather events. Extreme weather is increasing in Illinois. Over the past 120 years, significant changes have occurred that are...

Outstanding volunteers honored at State Fair ceremony
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Outstanding 4-H volunteers were celebrated as part of the 2022 class of the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame at a ceremony held as part of the 4-H General Project Show at the Illinois State Fair...

Illinois 4-H invites alumni to join 4-H history project
URBANA, Ill. – Illinois 4-H is proud of the rich history of 4-H and the network of 4-H alums near and far. Alums of the Illinois 4-H program share a unique bond with over 25 million Americans across the country. Illinois 4-H has launched a new initiative for the Illinois 4-H History...