Antibiotic resistance continues to be a problem, that needs to be solved. Antibiotic resistance is when it becomes more difficult to kill bacteria using antibiotics. When foodborne pathogens become antibiotic resistant, the people who contract a foodborne illness may not respond well to treatment....

Dry or low moisture foods do not quickly come to mind when we think about foodborne illnesses and the ways to reduce them. In fact, these foods are not among the top three foods linked to foodborne disease outbreaks in the United...

After missing an update in September, a lot has occurred in the melon research plot. Melons were maturing nicely until disease pressure set in late August, which was later identified as anthracnose. Melons started to show signs of disease on fruit, and vines were beginning to die off with immature...

Tomato harvest has been steady but less than mid-summer for the past three weeks mainly due to a more moderate flower set and fruits ripening slower, creating a reduction in overall fruit load compared to July. Peppers are continuing to size well and have allowed for a once per week harvest time...

Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist, provided this weather report. Fall came early in Illinois, with temperatures between 1.5 and 3.5 degrees below normal since late August (Figure 1). Nighttime low temperatures have dipped into the low 40s and upper 30s multiple times, and we set some low...

This summer I observed something that I had not seen before. I am growing delicata squash in my backyard and I saw holes in one. I then observed a couple of other squashes with holes and frass (insect poop) coming out of the holes. I cut open the squashes and found both green and white caterpillars...

Now is time to think about those fall cool season crops despite the fact the thermometer feels quite the opposite. I no-till transplanted my fall broccoli & cauliflower August 10. It caught a small shower that day but that didn’t go far and we have watered some to get them established. I also...

Soilless food production systems have become attractive as they present many advantages including more efficient use of the limited resources such as water that can be recirculated, growing food vertically in a small space, fewer pests, diseases, and no weeds that need to be managed, and the fact...

The following article was written by Dr. James Santiago, Assistant Professor Horticulture, University of Illinois Department of Crop Sciences. Many specialty crops we consume develop from flowers including apples, squash, beans, peas, etc. Having an elongated shape, the State of Illinois has...

As kids go back to school, operations have started the shift from summer crops over to fall crops, which includes the transition from peaches to apples. Peaches are in the ‘Cresthaven’ window, with cultivars like ‘Encore’, ‘Autumnstar’ and ‘Laurol’ yet to finish out the season.  Apples are in...