Tree bark adds visual bite to winter landscapes
URBANA, Ill. – With bright colors and interesting shapes, unusual tree and shrub bark can add visual interest to winter landscapes. Many types of bark become more distinctive and sought after during winter months. Selecting trees based on their bark can bring four seasons of visual interest to...
Planning a new perennial garden? Plant for the whole garden ecosystem
URBANA, Ill. - Welcome to winter. The days are short and cold, and if you enjoy plants, hopefully, you have a few indoors to boost your mood. However, there is already light on the horizon. Spring will be here before you know it, and now is a wonderful time to plan out your new perennial gardens...
Get the dirt on growing healthy plants
URBANA, Ill. – Become a better gardener and find success nurturing plants indoors and out. Learn best practices for home gardening from University of Illinois Extension horticulture educators in the Four Seasons Gardening webinar series that begins...
Beef up your 2023 beef herd management
URBANA, Ill – Producers can improve herd management by learning latest research on cover crop performance, grazing farms, soil health, and drainage practices during the 2023 Dudley Smith Farm Winter Meeting.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 7 at the...
Burning local firewood this winter can save forests
URBANA, Ill. – Nothing beats the warmth of a crackling fireplace on these coldest days of the year. Each winter, as my family enjoys the cozy warmth of our woodstove room, I’m always thankful for the firewood supply we’ve been fortunate enough to accumulate.
Most of the wood we burn...
Cover cropping up to 7.2% in U.S. Midwest, boosted by government programs
URBANA, Ill. – Cover crops, with their ability to reduce erosion and promote soil health, are being planted across more Midwestern land than ever. That’s according to new University of Illinois research showing cover crop adoption reached 7.2% in 2021, up from just 1.8% a decade prior. The...
Give someone a green holiday season with the gift of plants
URBANA, Ill. – If picking the perfect holiday gift stresses you out, this year visit your local garden center for a natural gift that keeps on giving. Gardening and growing plants is an experiential gift that is both rewarding and fun.
If you are gifting a plant this season, remember to...
Gully erosion prediction tools can lead to better land management
URBANA, Ill. – Soil erosion is a significant problem for agricultural production, impacting soil quality and causing pollutants to enter waterways. Among all stages of soil erosion, gully erosion is the most severe phase, where large channels are carved through the field. Once gullies develop,...
Ensuring access for all, Extension adds DEIA leadership
URBANA, Ill. – A new leadership position will guide University of Illinois Extension’s efforts to ensure its programs are relevant, inclusive, and accessible to all of Illinois’ diverse residents and communities.
...
Emerging technology allows solar panels and agriculture to coexist, legal hurdles remain
URBANA, Ill. – Renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels are gaining traction, but are sometimes met with local resistance because they take up valuable space that could otherwise be used for agricultural production. Agrivoltaics provides a way of creating dual land...
Protect your holiday baking traditions with 4 food safety tips
URBANA, Ill. – Holiday baking brings family and friends together and creates lasting memories as friends share recipes, stories, and meaningful time together. Amid the flurry of flour-covered countertops and mountains of messy mixing bowls, keep food safety in mind.
“Baking and...
Holiday favorite gourd is good to go for 2022
Few of us stop to wonder how that slice of pumpkin pie made it onto our plate, but if it weren't for the Illinois pumpkin industry and plant pathologist and Extension specialist Mohammad Babadoost, the classic fall...
Study shows the power of 'thank you' for couples
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Gratitude has been a trendy sentiment in recent years – sparking an industry of journals, knickknacks, and T-shirts touting thankfulness as a positive force in individuals’ lives.
New research suggests that gratitude from one’s partner may be a powerful tool for couples...
Protect trees from winter’s wrath with a few preventive steps
URBANA, Ill. – Winter is hard on trees. Wind, ice, and cold temperatures can harm trees through sunscald, branch-breaking ice loads, or winter burn on evergreens. Taking preventative measures in the fall can help minimize winter injury to trees in the landscape.
Boxwood, arborvitae, and...
Bats protect young trees from insect damage, with three times fewer bugs
URBANA, Ill. – Bats help keep forests growing. Without bats to hold their populations in check, insects that munch on tree seedlings go wild, doing three to nine times more damage than when bats are on the scene. That’s according to a groundbreaking ...
Illinois Extension welcomes new 4-H Program Coordinator
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – University of Illinois Extension is pleased to welcome Sherri Bishop as the new 4-H Program Coordinator in Logan County.
Most recently, Sherri served as the Office Support Assistant in the Logan Extension Office, and she has extensive experience working with youth...
Best way to estimate costs for invasive plant removal? Get out and dig
URBANA, Ill. – Plants are designed to travel. They might not stand up and walk, but many plants produce seeds or other bits that can be carried long distances by wind or animals and start growing. While that might be great news for the plant, escapes like these can disrupt natural ecosystems and...
Improve well-being, health with 5 life lessons
URBANA, Ill. – Continued learning through all stages of life helps us to thrive physically, mentally, and financially. No matter your age, learn valuable life lessons in five monthly workshops which continue a tradition of supporting Illinois residents and communities with relevant and easy-to-...
Researchers explore soil erosion nutrient runoff in Illinois waterways
URBANA, Ill. - A team of Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) scientists was awarded a grant from the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council to quantify streambank erosion across the state and its contributions to phosphorus (P...
