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Family looking at vegetables from raised bed garden

Gardening with ease

Gardening is a great way to stay active outdoors from spring through fall. It is an activity that stimulates our bodies and minds. While it may seem like a lot of work, there are several ways to make gardening easier and more enjoyable. Raise Your GardenGardening can require a lot of stooping...
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Three steps for a long-lasting live Christmas Tree

The secret to having a live Christmas tree staying fresh and keeping its needles is to start fresh and take the steps necessary to keep it that way. Step 1 Buy a fresh tree. The easiest way to ensure a fresh tree is to go to one of our local tree farms and buy freshly cut...
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Flagging damage caused by periodical cicadas

Dead Branch Tips-Cicadas Last Gift

Did periodical cicadas make their presence known around your house? Are you now seeing the ends of tree branches turning brown and dying? The dead branch tips are the result of our recently deceased cicadas laying their eggs inside these tree branches near their tips. This damages the branch...
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Tobacco Hornworm

Hornworm alert: Be on the lookout

Our recent hot weather has not only helped our garden plants to grow, but it has also helped our garden pests to arrive a little earlier than usual. The Tobacco hornworm is showing up in local gardens with 3-inch ones present in at least one local garden. The hornworm caterpillar is the larva of a...
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Cicada Map of Central Illinois

Will the 2024 cicada invasion affect me

We have been hearing for months that two broods of periodical cicadas will emerge from the ground this May in central Illinois: the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII. These cicadas have been living underground, feeding on tree roots for either 13 or 17 years, depending on the brood. Is...
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Man carrying out a bare Christmas tree ready for recycling

Upcycle that old Christmas Tree

Well, Christmas is over, and it is time to decide what to do with that fresh-cut Christmas tree that has been sitting in your home for the past several weeks. Did you know that how you dispose of your tree can have an environmental impact? A live Christmas tree disposed of in a landfill is...
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Apple hanging from an apple tree

Growing apples in your home orchard

There is a lot of interest by home gardeners to raise and produce organic fruit. The good news is it can be done! Home growers need to be attentive to their fruit trees and know when to apply control measures. Producing fruit that is relatively free of discoloration and damage...
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Person holding a glass filled with water

When was the last time your well was inspected

A properly constructed and maintained water well can provide many years of trouble free service, but a well can deteriorate or become damaged allowing surface contaminants to enter the water in the well. In addition, groundwater can become contaminated. The safety of a family’s drinking water is...
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Protect Your Small Flock from Avian Flu

Preventing Avian Flu in Your Small Flock

In the past three weeks, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected wild birds in the central U.S. flyway. The HPIA strains being detected are Eurasian H5 and Eurasian H5N1. Confirmed cases of HPIA have been confirmed in commercial and small flocks in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and...
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