The cover crops seeded in the “treatment” high tunnel are growing, although not as evenly as hoped. The crimson clover stand is almost non-existent, and the annual ryegrass stand is much better in plots at the back of the tunnel (photo to right, B. Aly, Illinois Extension 2024). The working theory...

We are dry in the area, having received little rainfall in the month of October with only 0.06”.  We did get almost 6” of rain in the last half of September which went a long way to helping fall crops in the field. Temperatures have overall been fairly warm with highs bouncing between the...

The IEEE Smart Ag Working Group is conducting research to learn about the various impacts caused by the lack of interoperability across agricultural systems & technologies. To...

The two-year specialty crop block grant, “Strategies for Improving Biological Control of Insect Pests for Vegetable Growers Utilizing High Tunnels” officially finished data collection in September. During the month of October, tomato, pepper and cut flower plants, stakes, posts, and string have...

We are now nearly through two-thirds of the fall season, and many folks could be forgiven if they have forgotten what rain sounds like. Much of the state has had less than 1 inch of rain since late September, including parts of east-central Illinois that have seen less than half an inch over the...

Hurricane Francine might have put a damper on the first “official” pumpkin weekend this season, but the following weekends have been near perfect for drawing crowds to fall agritourism activities.  The pumpkin crop is overall good to excellent, and demand is high.  Apple harvest,...

Hello everyone! We are students in the College of ACES who are part of the JBT program. The Jonathan Baldwin Turner (JBT) Scholar program is a renewable, merit-based scholarship program that provides financial support and professional development experiences to create leaders in the field of...

We’re about 3-4 weeks into apple season up here with new varieties being harvested each week. For the week of 9/20/2024, this includes ‘Gala’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Early Fuji’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Jonagold’, ‘Cortland’, ‘Pixie Crunch’, ‘Crimson Crisp’, ‘Senshu’, and many, many others. This can vary from...