Emerging technology allows solar panels and agriculture to coexist, legal hurdles remain
URBANA, Ill. – Renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels are gaining traction, but are sometimes met with local resistance because they take up valuable space that could otherwise be used for agricultural production. Agrivoltaics provides a way of creating dual land...
Nominate bulls for 2023 IPT Bull Sale
URBANA, Ill. – Breeders must nominate bulls by Dec. 1 for consideration to the 2023 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale. The sale will be Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and includes old and young bulls. Young bulls must have calved between Jan. 1, 2021...
Explore agriculture technology to inform the future of digital ag
URBANA, Ill. – The agriculture industry is changing – driverless full-sized tractors can till fields and robots are milking cows and feeding calves. New digital farming technologies like robots and autonomous field equipment are coming out every day. But these labor-saving machines have also...
Aerial applications going full speed ahead this season
URBANA, Ill. – This year, nearly all of Illinois has experienced hot and humid conditions that can lead to fungal pathogens and insect pests in crops. Farmers can use ground equipment to apply fungicides or insecticides, but the machinery is slow and can injure crops. So, to protect their...
Midwestern farmer feedback requested to guide $10M resilient agriculture project
URBANA, Ill. – The Diverse Corn Belt project is seeking farmer input through focus groups and in-field research. This is a multidisciplinary project exploring alternative crops, longer rotations, integrating livestock and perennials that could help increase resilience in Midwest agriculture....
Midwestern hemp database applications open until July 24
URBANA, Ill. – Industrial hemp is one of the fasting growing crops across Midwestern fields and researchers are recruiting producers in the race to learn more.
University of Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educators are working...
$3.9M USDA NIFA grant funds ‘Farm of the Future’
Urbana, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it is funding a new collaboration between two institutes and a research center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that will create an integrated farm of the future in the U.S. Midwest.
Titled “I-...
Researchers: Farmers know tick risks; now is time to take preventative actions
URBANA, Ill. – Ticks, once limited to the northeast region of the United States, are making a westward migration across the U.S. and with them, tickborne diseases that cost the healthcare system up to $1.3 billion a year to treat. Exposure to ticks can happen anywhere - from backyards to parks...
Young farmers seek solutions to entry barriers
URBANA, Ill. – Young and beginning farmers face many challenges, including access to land, financial capital, technical knowledge and support, social networks, adequate labor, marketing experience, health insurance, and childcare.
University of Illinois Extension is wading through the...
Study: Proposed nitrogen fertilizer policies could protect farmer profits, environment
URBANA, Ill. – Nitrogen fertilizer has major implications for crop yields and environmental health, specifically water quality in the Gulf of Mexico. Federal and state governments have shied away from regulating nitrogen fertilizer use, but voluntary and incentives-based programs have not been...
Share rural roads safely during spring planting season
URBANA, Ill. – After a cold, wet spring Illinois farmers are racing to get their crops in the field. As large farm equipment moves along country roads, both farmers and those driving a vehicle should adopt a "safety first" attitude.
The 2022 spring planting season is...
Performance Tested Bull Sale averages $4,372 on 46 lots
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – For 54 years, the Performance Tested Bull Sale has provided elite seedstock for cattle breeders. The 2022 sale held Feb. 24 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield averaged $4,372 on the 46 lots sold. The sale is a multi-breed sale and offers both older age...
Improve your forest one tree at a time
URBANA, Ill. – Buying and maintaining forested land can be daunting if landowners don’t know how to manage it. Fortunately, a new University of Illinois outreach program is here to help.
“We’re giving landowners tools to understand the science behind forest management. So, if they do...
Shared space: $10 million grant examines how crops, solar can occupy same space
URBANA, Ill. — Some view crops and solar panels as competitors for prime real estate. A 4-year, $10 million dollar grant awarded to University of Illinois' Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment will design "agrivoltaic...
During harvest: Know and teach electrical safety on the farm
From dump truck driver to teenager, everyone should be aware of potential electrical hazards
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Harvest means long hours, increased stress, and tight schedules. Because of that, ...
