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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…

Erin Garret standing next to little bluestem in a garden

Grasses at a Glance blog earns award from national Extension organization

URBANA, Ill. — Grasses are a small and often subtle backbone of many ecosystems, making up nearly 30% of the planet’s land cover. They prevent soil erosion, regulate water flow, and provide food and habitat for wildlife and livestock. But ask someone to identify one grass from another, and you…

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Hemp grower spotlight: American Hemp Research
FREEPORT, Ill. - The University of Illinois Extension will continue with their “Grower Spotlight” webinar series on Monday April 6th, 2020 from 9:00AM-10:30AM. This webinar series serves as a platform for our local producers and allow other growers, agribusiness professionals, university and...
Hemp grower spotlight: Clara Joyce Flowers
Farmers’ Experiences/Lessons Learned From 2019 FREEPORT, Ill. - The University of Illinois Extension will continue their “Grower Spotlight” webinar series on Thursday April 2nd, 2020 from 9:00AM-10:30AM. This webinar series serves as a platform for our local producers and allow other...
Millions at stake in census; be counted
URBANA, Ill. - An accurate census count is important to Illinois. The state could lose two congressional seats based on the population totals informed by the next census. Federal funding for programs including Medicaid,...
Extension to offer Growing Horticulture in Northwest Illinois series
STERLING, Ill. - University of Illinois Extension is pleased to announce a free webinar series, Growing Horticulture in Northwest Illinois on Wednesdays starting April 1, 2020 from 10:30-11:30 AM delivered using Zoom. University of Illinois Extension Educators Bruce J. Black, Grant McCarty and...
Save the taste of summer with at-home food preservation
DECATUR, Ill. — Get ready for summer produce by learning how to preserve food safely with University of Illinois Extension. Nutrition & Wellness Educator Caitlin Mellendorf will teach the basics of home food preservation and provide the latest safety guidelines. Kick off the...
Get Growing webinar series announced for growing vegetables and fruit
FREEPORT, Ill. - University of Illinois Extension is proud to announce an upcoming fruit and vegetable webinar series offered this April for backyard growers and homeowners. “Each spring, we get a number of calls to our University of Illinois Extension office asking about growing fruit...
Get gardening with our beginning gardener webinar series
MURPHYSBORO, Ill. – Horticulture Educator Austin Little and Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Katie Bell are teaming up to share a webinar series for beginning gardeners starting on April 7. During our time of quarantine, there is still one thing we can all do – garden! Whether you...
Time to Prune Your Raspberry and Blackberry Plants
While most fruit trees have been pruned for the season, homeowners should look to prune raspberry and blackberry plants in the next couple of weeks. Your first step in pruning these is to know that brambles produce primocanes and floricanes. “A primocane would be a cane that grew in...
Illinois Extension Offers Tips for National Nutrition Month
Consistent, healthy food choices are what matter in the long run, and that’s why the 2020 National Nutrition Month theme is “Eat Right, Bite by Bite.” Created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month is celebrated each...
Organize your community resources when extreme weather hits
URBANA, Ill. – Illinois River flooding in 2019 was so extreme that residents of Calhoun County found themselves isolated during the worst of the event. With roads closed and the ferries that typically provide transportation not operational, travel in and out of the peninsula was impossible. For...

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