Events

Blog Posts

Nasturtium flowers
Read article: Spice up the garden with edible flowers
Spice up the garden with edible flowers
May is finally here, when Spring has sprung and homeowners are rushing to get the garden ready. As gardeners start their season, consider something...
A black service dog guiding a person walking with a cane.
Read article: Service animals: Where they can or cannot go
Service animals: Where they can or cannot go
Animals of all kinds, whether they are wildlife, domesticated animals, work animals, pets, or pests, are all potential sources of contamination to...
pre-sprouted ginger rhizome with shoot and roots visible
Read article: Ginger rhizome planting day at multiple sites in McLean County – May 16th, 2025
Ginger rhizome planting day at multiple sites in McLean County – May 16th, 2025
After about 4.5 weeks of pre-sprouting in coconut coir, using heat mats, temperature controllers set to 77 F, and humidity domes, 8x 1020 flats of...
A hand holding a quarter with three purple blue oval shaped fruit each smaller than the coin
Read article: Recap on the haskap
Recap on the haskap
Since 2016, the Rockford Illinois Extension office has been home to a small planting of honeyberry (also known as haskap) bushes. Originally...

News Releases

Tara Heath staff photo
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...

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...

Staff