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soil in hand
Read article: Cultivating sustainability: how farmers can improve soil health and become better stewards of the land
Cultivating sustainability: how farmers can improve soil health and become better stewards of the land
Stewardship (noun): the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. The National Association...
reddish colored worms making compost
Read article: Turn trash to treasure with composting
Turn trash to treasure with composting
At its core, composting is recycling organic matter into nutrient-rich soil.  Plants and other vegetative matter are broken down by decomposers such...
garden gloves holding chemical jar
Read article: Household ammonia cleaner as a homemade fertilizer
Household ammonia cleaner as a homemade fertilizer
It is time for another installment of What’s under my sink and can I use it in the garden? Today comes a home remedy that originates back to...
Cover crop growing in corn stubble
Read article: Make managing cover crops easier using the Cover Crop Decision Support Tool
Make managing cover crops easier using the Cover Crop Decision Support Tool
Interested in adopting cover crops but unsure what it will mean for your field? In the December 2021 NLRS Podcast episode, we go into depth on an...

News Releases

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...
Overhead view of compost filled bin during winter.
Spring into composting by reviving a compost pile after winter
URBANA, Ill. — If you haven’t touched your compost bin or pile all winter, don’t worry, you are not alone. It could be filled with kitchen scraps to the top or left untouched since the fall. Getting a compost pile going again after the long, cold winter can be intimidating, but it is possible...

Videos

Vermicomposting - Turning Leftovers into Soil

When we are asked to describe an ocean, forest, desert, or even our backyard we can give a pretty clear description about what one might find there. When asked what is under the ground, we tend to be unsure and it becomes clear how little we know about what is below our own backyards. Worms come...

School and Community Gardens Learning Module

Bring the garden into the schoolyard with our online School and Community Gardens Self-Paced Learning Modules. A school garden can be many things, from a pollinator garden, to a sensory garden, or a bulb garden. Our online learning modules focus on vegetable gardening while we take you on a...