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Youth teams standing at a crop scouting station discussing plants with a researcher.

Illinois crop competition calls for youth scouting teams

The Illinois Youth Crop Scouting Competition is not just any competition. It is a unique opportunity for agriculture students to showcase skills and knowledge while working on a team competing for a prize. The team works together to explore and help solve today’s crop-related issues. The…

a group of children stand at a table full of potted plants in a classroom

Plant positivity, learn how to grow a school or community garden

URBANA, Ill. — When green spaces fill schoolyards and neighborhoods with flowers and fresh produce, children and communities thrive. But the journey from the idea of starting a community or school-based garden to planting one that is built to last is long. What funding sources are available?…

Recent quarter-sized holes in the soil made by periodical cicadas

Enjoy the silence. Cicadas are coming

If you haven't heard the buzz, you will soon. Billions of periodical cicadas are coming, and University of Illinois Extension is sharing information to help track their moves before emergence.

“Historically speaking, 2024 is a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois,” says Ken…

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Bring homegrown foods to the table this Thanksgiving
Bring homegrown foods to the table this Thankgiving URBANA, Ill. – Celebrating the year’s harvest with a Thanksgiving feast has been an American tradition for more than 400 years. Whether homegrown or from a farmers market, the demand for locally sourced foods is on the rise. ...
4-H teens earn new state leadership roles
URBANA, Ill. – Six Illinois teens take on new statewide leadership roles as they join the Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team Board through the University of Illinois Extension 4-H Program. The...
Illinois 4-H Team takes 8th in national dairy contest
MADISON, Wis. – An Illinois 4-H team placed eighth in the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held Sept. 27 in Madison, Wis. as part of the World Dairy Expo. Members of the team include Delana...
Keep pharmaceuticals out of local waterways with drug take back day
URBANA, Ill. – That expired bottle of pills sitting at the back of the medicine cabinet was once useful, but now it’s just taking up space. The question is – what do you do with it? Flush it? Throw it away? Either choice puts drugs into nearby rivers or lakes putting the environment,...
4-H shooting sports contest brings fun, camaraderie, teamwork to the range
URBANA, Ill. – Over 90 Illinois youth gathered at statewide competitions this fall to exhibit their skill mastery in shooting sports. In addition to skill levels, the competitions focus on building teamwork abilities, camaraderie, and of course fun. “I know at first it appears odd to...
Don't rake fall leaves, recycle them
URBANA, Ill. – Every fall, an onslaught of leaves drop relentlessly into yards leaving homeowners to rake, bag, and haul them out on the curb. But what many don’t know is that those golden-hued leaves are gold in the garden. “After raking leaves this fall, think about recycling them on...
Reclamation programs help communities transition abandoned mines
URBANA, Ill. — For more than 140 years, coal mining communities in 72 Illinois counties have helped to power the state. As Illinois pursues energy transitions, coal power plants have downsized and closed, leaving mines abandoned and communities without avenues to replace lost tax revenue and...

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