Blogs

Three animated poultry figures sit around a table with blank faces and coffee cups in front of them.

Farm Estate Planning Series

Quick Tips for Farm Estate PlanningStudies have shown that fewer than 20 percent of farm families have an effective estate plan to roadmap what happens to the family farm when dad and mom retire or pass away. Death is inevitable. What is very normal is that families avoid...
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Aerial view of barely emerged plants in farm field. Several trees and a building sit on a strip of land at the edge.

Preparing to Field Scout with your Farm Drone

Farm drones can be valuable in helping farmers keep an eye on their crops through the growing season. The farmer can carry out tasks efficiently and effectively with proper preparation. Here are some of the basic checks needed to make to ensure a safe and effective flight.Before Going to...
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Sunshine peeks through large clouds over thick dust, which shrouds a country road running between two farm fields.

Getting dust to settle, stay on Illinois farmland

As another large dust storm impacted Illinois in May, the conversation and questions continue about why and how to get the dust to settle and stay in the field rather than across roadways. Although it is not a new environmental event, the dangers are always present, and questions arise....
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Pheasant sitting on fence in farm field

Fencerows: A lost practice worth reviving?

Looking out across Central Illinois, you will see open fields stretching for miles with few breaks in between fields. It may even be difficult to tell where one field ends and another begins. This is not what farmland in Illinois always looked like, though. Our agricultural landscape...
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Elm zigzag sawfly larva

Illinois Invasive: Elm Zigzag Sawfly

The elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) is an invasive pest of elm trees (Ulmus spp.) that was first detected in Illinois in July 2024 in Busse Woods, Cook County. Native to parts of China and Japan, this species became established in Europe in 2003 and was first detected in the United...
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College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Illinois Extension

101 Mumford Hall (MC-710)

1301 W. Gregory Dr.

Urbana, IL 61801

Email: extension@illinois.edu

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