Specialty Crops

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Blog Posts

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2025 small fruit survey for Illinois growers
During the 2025 Southern Illinois Fruit and Vegetable School recently held in Mt. Vernon, a short survey was created to go along with discussion in...
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Winter's last shot
Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist, provided this weather update. Since the calendar turned over to 2025, we have been experiencing winter...
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Before you plant that field with fruits and vegetables
One of the key decisions farmers make is about where to plant crops. This question becomes even more important if you plan to grow fresh fruits and...
black trays filled with soil with small green seedlings growing
From Dixon Springs Ag Center: Seedlings and cover crops are springing into action
With all seeds ordered and in hand, pepper seeds were germinated and potted up into flats during the second and third weeks of February respectively...
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News Releases

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Tara Heath promoted to Extension crops educator
LEWISTOWN, Ill. - The agriculture industry continues to change rapidly, impacting everyone from the producers to the industry professionals to the food consumers. University of Illinois Extension is growing its team of commercial agriculture educators to provide research-based, unbiased...
An adult assists a young child with smashing a pumpkin at a composting event.
Combat packing landfills by smashing pumpkins with Illinois Extension
URBANA, Ill. — Fall is the pumpkin’s time to shine, but what happens when it is time to say goodbye to the short-lived jack-o'-lanterns?With Illinois consistently being the top producer of pumpkins across the country, there are a lot of pumpkins piling up and filling up landfills across...
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Videos

Mushroom Production on Small Farms

Direct market farmers, homesteaders, land-owners, hobby farms, and backyard growers can learn practices to improve production and increase profit.

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

On this week’s Good Growing podcast we talk with Illinois Extension local foods educator Nick Frillman about growing gourmet shiitake mushrooms in your own backyard. Nick shows us the tools and methods used to turn fresh cut logs of white oak and sugar maple into inoculated “bolts” that will...

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