overhead view of a specialty crop small farm

Local Food Systems and Small Farms

Resources for Growers and Producers

Extension's Local Food Systems and Small Farms area covers a vast range of interests, from urban agriculture and beginning small farmers to farmers markets and organic agriculture.

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Events

Growing Quality Blooms

September 24, 2026

County

Cook

Tri-County Hunger Walk

September 26, 2026

County

Fulton

Mason

Peoria

Tazewell

Livingston

McLean

Woodford

Illinois Beginning Orchard Academy (IBOA)

October 1, 2026 - November 12, 2026

County

JoDaviess

Stephenson

Winnebago

News

Overhead drone footage of a crew installing drainage pipe down the center of a farm field plot.

July 24, 2026

Envisioning the next 150 years of crop research with the Alma Mater Plots
URBANA, Ill. — A couple of miles south of the main quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a remarkable agricultural experiment is taking shape. The so-called Alma Mater Plots are unique in their setup — with 64 one-acre plots, each...

A sprayer traveling across a farm field releasing liquid herbicide.

July 22, 2026

What would it cost farmers if Illinois banned glyphosate?
URBANA, Ill. — A new analysis from the...

Two crops researchers pose smiling at the camera while standing in a corn field

July 20, 2026

Agronomy Days continues with Stairway to Yield, other events for producers
URBANA, Ill. — Agronomy Days 2026 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign continues with events scheduled into October, teaching Illinois growers the latest breakthroughs in...

A woman with a clipboard checks the food in an open refrigerator

July 14, 2026

Help shape solutions to food waste by taking the Illinois Household Food Waste Survey
URBANA, Ill. — From farm to table to trash can, what happens to food is bigger than leftovers. Producing food uses valuable resources like water and fuel, and when uneaten food ends up in landfills, it...

July 13, 2026

Through local partnerships and programs, Extension Academy builds expertise
URBANA, Ill. — Collaboration and shared expertise strengthen every project, especially when advancing current research and best practices from the University of Illinois Urbana...

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