Many northwest Illinois corn and soybean farmers produced their highest yields ever in the 2025 growing season. Despite this, challenges remain, most pertinently the price-cost squeeze that continues to force producers to make management decisions with added scrutiny, rendering standard decisions increasingly difficult.
To provide local producers with the latest research updates in agronomy that will help them make informed management decisions and see positive returns on investment, University of Illinois Extension serving Jo Daviess, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties is pleased to announce that the annual Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit will be held at Highland Community College Student Conference Center in Freeport, Illinois, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
This year’s conference will feature research updates from University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Iowa State University faculty and Extension specialists, highlighting best management practices in the areas of soil health and fertility, corn and soybean management, and weed control.
Presentations will include the following:
- SoilBNB: How to make your soils a host for microbes and reap the benefits, presented by Dr. Marshall McDaniel, Associate Professor of Soil-Plant Interactions at Iowa State University
- Foliar fertilizers: When do we see the best bang for the buck in soybean?, presented by Mark Kendall, Research Agronomist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Soybean and Small Grains Extension Program
- Producer Enemy Number 1: The case against waterhemp, presented by Kathryn Seebruck, Commercial Agriculture Educator with University of Illinois Extension
- Managing waterhemp with cover crops, presented by Dan Smith, Outreach Program Manager for the Nutrient and Pest Management Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
- Why do we fertilize? Reviewing corn and soybean nutrient needs and best fertility practices, presented by Dr. Connor Sible, Research Assistant Professor in the Crop Physiology Lab at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
To register or for more information about the Northwest Illinois Agronomy Summit, visit us online (go.illinois.edu/AGSFreeport) or call the Stephenson County U of I Extension office at (815) 235-4125. Registration is $25 and includes all presentations and lunch. Certified Crop Adviser continuing education units will be available. This event is part of a statewide series of Illinois Extension Agronomy Summits taking place throughout January and February of 2026.
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.