Crops

Events

2026 Youth Crop Scouting Competition

August 4, 2026

Blog Posts

Freshly harvested corn pushes out of a combine with blue sky and wispy clouds in background

Farm Drainage Series: Part 7 Farmers Incentivizing Landowners to make Tile Improvements

May 5, 2026

Farm drainage tile systems in Illinois have aged, leaving many farms poorly drained, resulting in lower crop yields. Upgrading farm drainage systems...

A farmer in cap and coveralls is bent over looking at a broken tile and water.

Farm Drainage Series Part 6: Repairing and Maintaining Farm Tile Systems

April 14, 2026

This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements.Contractors design...

A tile contractor uses a backhoe loader to aid installation of a large tile main, with dirt road on left and farm field on the right.

Farm Drainage Series Part 5: Challenges Installing Drainage Tile Mains — Railroads, Highways, and Others

March 27, 2026

This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements.Installing the...

An excavator clears tree roots in a farm field with large shrub and blue sky in background.

Farm Drainage Series: Part 4 - Negotiating a Mutual Farm Tile Project: A Joint Tile Main Case Study

March 23, 2026

Note: This article is not to be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal advisor before entering tile agreements. Improving...

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News Releases

Green leafy stemmed Asian copperleaf plant in a farm field

May 6, 2026

Novel Illinois weed species, Asian copperleaf, identified in northern Illinois
URBANA, Ill. — Corn and soybean farmers should be scouting for a new weed this upcoming growing season. According to University of Illinois crop experts, Asian copperleaf (Acalypha australis) was identified in a field in Stephenson County in...

A person shows a lock and tag out bin safety system at an event table

April 1, 2026

Against the Grain: Dr. Salah Issa on Innovating Ag Safety
URBANA, Ill. — Dr. Salah Issa’s career in agricultural safety began in an unexpected way. Starting out at a graduate program in Ecological Sciences and Engineering at Purdue University as a self-described “city kid”, he was unaware that agricultural engineering was even a career option. It wasn’...

A team of youth analyzing a plant and using a book to research crop facts

March 23, 2026

Youth can strengthen crop scouting skills at statewide Illinois Extension competition
URBANA, Ill. — There is no better way to check in on a crop field than to take a walk down a row. Youth looking to strengthen their agronomy skills or share what they already know can do so while competing with a team at the...

A side-by-side recreation of people 150 years apart posing the same at the Morrow Plots

February 26, 2026

ACES marks 150 years of the Morrow Plots, our nation's oldest research field
URBANA, Ill. — A lot has changed on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus since its founding in 1867, but a storied plot of land near the south quad has been preserved nearly intact for a century and a half....

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Videos

Farm Management: Pre-plant Spraying

Before the seed goes in the ground, farmers spray the ground. For this particular filed the farm is using 28% nitrogen and a preplant herbicide. Thanks to technology, the farmer can utilize GPS and other onboard technology to better control the amount of spray being used.