OGLESBY, Ill. – The University of Illinois Extension is pleased to announce the addition of Emily Hansen as a Commercial Agriculture Educator serving Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, and Putnam counties. Emily joined our team in November 2023 and has already hit the ground running with programs targeting both farmers and landowners.
Emily graduated with her master’s degree in biological sciences in the behavior, ecology, evolution, and systematics sequence from Illinois State University. During her time at ISU, Emily engaged in impactful research exploring the influence of cover crops on soil microbial communities. Emily comes from a farming family, having farmed in the Grundy County area for five generations. Her areas of expertise include soil health, plant-microbe interactions, cover crops, and sustainable production practices.
“I am excited to join the Extension team in Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, and Putnam Counties,” said Hansen. “My first year on the job has been great and I look forward to bringing new and innovative programs to our community.”
In her role, Emily develops and delivers research-based programs to growers, collaborates with community partners, and extends University resources to address a wide range of agricultural topics. In 2024 she brought the Farmland Owners Conference to Illinois Valley Community College, hosted a roundtable discussion about cover crops, started an agriculture-focused blog, Field Notes, and organized the IVCC Ag + Extension Fall Field Day.
To learn more about upcoming events visit go.illinois.edu/BLMPAg.
Emily is available to help answer questions related to row crop production and can be reached at the Illinois Extension office housed at Illinois Valley Community College, 815 N. Orlando Smith Rd., Room C223 in Oglesby or by calling (815) 224-0896. Her email address is emhansen@illinois.edu.
WRITER: Emily Hansen, Commercial Agriculture Educator, University of Illinois Extension serving Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, and Putnam counties
EDITOR: Karina Delgado, Marketing and Communications Program Coordinator, University of Illinois Extension serving Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, and Putnam counties
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.