Skip to main content

Local Foods and Small Farms

Blog Posts

green tomato leaves with pale yellow splotches
Read article: Leaf mold observed early in growing season for high tunnel tomatoes in Southern Illinois
Leaf mold observed early in growing season for high tunnel tomatoes in Southern Illinois
Over the last few years of growing tomatoes in the high tunnels in southern Illinois at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, leaf mold has been...
Read article: Warm spring and a hot and active start to summer
Warm spring and a hot and active start to summer
This month's weather information from Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist (217-244-1330 or twford@illinois....
Rows of apple washing in a large-scale set-up.
Read article: Why you should not wash fresh produce with contaminated water
Why you should not wash fresh produce with contaminated water
Washing fresh produce after harvest has several benefits including removing soil and cooling produce. The ...
green stem with tiny tan slots
Read article: Assessing periodical cicada damage to fruit
Assessing periodical cicada damage to fruit
For some, the emergence of the two periodical cicada broods across Illinois went by without a single sighting or rise in decibels. But for others, it...

News Releases

Green grass with blue sky horizon chicken coup and chickens on grass
McHenry County Farm Stroll 2023
McHenry County Farm Stroll 2023 Offers Tours of 11 Family-Owned Small Farms and McHenry County College Student Farm Woodstock, Ill. – Come out for an autumn day in the country! On Sunday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., McHenry County will host its annual Farm Stroll, a free self-...
Tart Cherries hanging from branch
Tart cherry season begins in Northern Illinois
While it may seem early, tart cherries are almost ready in backyard and commercial orchards in Northern Illinois. The tart cherry harvest season will begin in the next two weeks, towards the middle and end of June, maybe even sooner.“June remains an...
Periodical cicada map of emergence
Will the 2024 cicada invasion affect me
DECATUR, Ill. — This year, not one but two broods- the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII- of periodical cicadas will emerge. But, what does this mean for Central Illinois? The 13-year Brood XIX has been quietly feeding on tree roots for over a decade and will soon make their...

Staff