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Grow Your Food Business

Learn about the laws, certifications, processes, and practices required to run a home-based cottage food operation safely and legally in Illinois.

Find Cottage Food Resources

Illinois Extension Strategic Plan

Illinois Extension engaged in a strategic planning process throughout 2024 that created opportunities for many voices to contribute their own vision for Illinois Extension’s future. We are confident that this process has synthesized the ideas of our entire community to create a compelling and forward-thinking strategic plan.

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Certified Food Protection Managers Course

This program meets the coursework and examination requirements set by the Illinois Department of Public Health. We offer courses within our unit throughout the year.

Course Info

Events
News Releases
Two people in a boat with nets on poles watch as dozens of carp jump out of the water
Study: Invasive silver carp reduce movement in Chicago-area water
URBANA, Ill. — Invasive silver carp have been spreading throughout the Mississippi River Basin since their introduction a half-century ago. Yet, try as they might, the fish have not advanced beyond a particular stretch of the Illinois River north of Kankakee. Research from the...
a woman draws a bat with chalk
First bat celebration takes flight to raise awareness about conservation
URBANA, Ill. — Bats are an iconic symbol of spooky season, and more than 800 people attended the first Central Illinois Bat Festival on Sept. 28 in Urbana for a celebration of all things batty, including exhibits on bat conservation, guest speakers, activities for kids, and an evening bat walk...
yellow native flowers bloom in a garden with a background of people on a bridge
Nature-inspired sustainable student art on display at Red Oak Rain Garden
URBANA, Ill. — Nature at the Red Oak Rain Garden celebrates autumn with the bright purples of blooming aster flowers, a mosaic of tree leaves drifting slowly to the ground, and the nighttime chorus of insects and owls as twilight settles in. This October, the “Illuminating Art in Nature”...

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