University of Illinois Extension

Blog Posts (45)

Purchase more than pumpkins this season: Discover the savory side of cucurbits

Red kuri, delicata, and acorn squash in wicker baskets with pie pumpkins.

Interesting and Brief: A History of Apples & Their Uses

Let plants do the work, it's time to plant fall cover crops

green-blue oat grass with oats maturing

Southside Occupational Academy horticulture program seeds community

Kristen Dimas standing in the humming bird habitat at Southside Occupational Academy

Fair Shares Combined CSA benefits farmers, consumers, and community

Planting Summer’s Treat: Strawberries

fingers holding a small, unripe, green strawberry and white blossom

Your patience has paid off, plant tomatoes and peppers now

Tomato plant with yellow flowers

Local farmers rely on you this spring

Green, red and white tomatoes

Perseverance and patience grow an urban farm in West Pullman

garlic growing in a raised bed in March 2022

Cut flower grower builds community with his 'more than one person' approach

Try growing potatoes this spring: Boost your storage pantry power

A pile of freshly harvest red potatoes on soil

Add Agroforestry Plants to Your Garden

A single ripening asian pear hangs among green leaves.

Make your tree fruit and small fruit pruning plans now; reach out to Extension for resources

Nick Frillman teaching pruning workshop at Refuge Food Forest

Small urban farm sticks to social mission and achieves high yields

raised beds overflowing with vegetables

Order your seed catalogs now; plan better for next year

bush bean seeds in hand

Giving Thanks for Farmers

Thanksgiving spread

Finding local foods for your Thanksgiving feast

Locally raised turkeys make a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving meal.

Hazelnuts: A native plant is a new crop for Illinois

developing hazelnuts

Prepare your bees for winter

Feeding bees with syrup through the hive inner cover

Homework, teamwork, and passion power the 'real food for real people' operation of one Central Illinois farmer

Jeremy Zobrist overseeing the field pumpkin harvest with specially made equipment - Photo Credit: Sarah Zobrist

Choose local foods this Thanksgiving

Stacked pumpkins in front of a hay bale

Consider local turkeys this Thanksgiving

Turkeys roaming around in grass

El Paseo Community Garden is not just growing food, it's growing leaders and community

a view of El Paseo's urban farm

Put your garden to bed with fall/winter cover crops!

Urban beekeeper's planned expansion pays off during pandemic

Oscar Villa, urban beekeeper, approaches his hives along the Metra tracks

The wonderful wild pawpaw: America's largest, least-known tree fruit

What to expect at the farmers market

farmers market vendors and produce

Three types of investment set up a beginning urban farmer for success

Kevin Lindley in one of his high tunnels

Spring cover crops help start the season weed-free

Oats, Outi Mähönen, via Unsplash

CSA: What is it, and why should I care?

Black currant: growing favor for a blast of flavor.

black currants

How to care for backyard chickens in winter

Local foods offer a cornucopia of fresh Thanksgiving options

Beets, parsnip, squash and apples

Growing and Harvesting Okra

The okra plant produces cream colored flowers. Once pollinated, these will produce the okra pods to harvest and cook.

Creating a vision for your urban agriculture project

Path through prairie grass

Farmers are my kinda people

Photo of Michelle Sirles with farmer t-shirt

Cleaning, Sanitization, and Disinfection on the Produce Farm: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?

Washing sinks

Sub-Freezing Spring Temperatures and Crops

How cold is too cold for my crop?

How to Plant a Fruit Tree

Planting a fruit tree requires digging a hole the size of the roots.

Home Cook to Small Business: Start your Side Hustle as a Cottage Food Operator

Frost Seeding Pastures and Hay Fields

cattle in a pasture

The Reality of Growing Plants for a Living

The Reality of Growing Plants for a Living

Ephiphany Farms brings 'farm to fork' to backyard gardeners

Epiphany farms owner Ken Myszka speaks into microphone

Farmers, have you checked your stored grain lately?

$Pile of stored grain corn$

Parsnips – An Underrated Vegetable

Parsnips

News Releases (80)

Cook County grows horticulture team with new bilingual educator

Extension finds common ground, connects public with agriculture

New U of I farm apprenticeship turns out veggies and well-equipped farmers

IIlinois Extension launches new website to support cottage food businesses

The Flock Farm to host twilight meeting on pasture-raised livestock

Young farmers seek solutions to entry barriers

Young farmers seek solutions to entry barriers

Bugs can be a solution for high-tunnel farmers

Rethinking Agronomy Day at U of I means pop-up events and more

Home-to-Market Act expands options for Illinois’ growing cottage food industry

Crop scientists explore using predator insects to eat pests in high tunnels

Farm women are decision makers – Annie’s Project prepares them well

The spice is right: Researchers explore growing ginger in Illinois

The University of Illinois Extension and Purdue University Extension present Bi-State Small Agriculture Virtual Conference

Time to prune the fruit trees: Let University of Illinois Extension help you this winter with upcoming programs

Make a big difference on small farms with winter workshops

Be part of the future of farming, take the Illinois agriculture needs survey

Local Extension Office Honored at State Convention

Take the Local Thanksgiving Challenge

Bring homegrown foods to the table this Thanksgiving

Jackson County to host hybrid heritage chickens workshop

Prevent accidents by focusing on safety during busy harvest season

Consider cover crops this fall

Help save lives, learn how to support mental health in farm, rural communities

Farm Stroll 2021 Offers Tours of 12 Small Family-Owned Farms

Get in on the conversation with Extension’s Farm Talk Fridays

Safe canning techniques are essential when preserving at home

Dixon Springs research takes center stage at upcoming forums

2021 Summer Twilight Series - Bauman Family Farm

Extension names new agriculture outreach leadership

Research study focuses on predatory insects used as biological control in high tunnels

Add spice to your life with growing and cooking with herbs program

Local growers learn about strawberry production at twilight meeting

Tomato Production

2021 Southern Illinois Summer Twilight Series

Choose Healthy Foods From Local Growers

Communities searching for answers to food system gaps

Dream big with expert updates for northern fruit, vegetable farmers

Southern Illinois growers rely on Extension's sound production advice

Illinois Extension grows local foods team with new educator in Central Illinois

Stateline Fruit & Vegetable Conference: Pumpkin Varieties & Hard Cider Production

Improve profitability, sustainability of local food, small farm specialty operation

Annual Conservation Cropping Seminars now available online

Learn how to start a community garden on January 20

CropFlix takes annual crop management conference online with binge-worthy content

Attend every session of 2021 Illinois Specialty Crop Conference

Be creative with your Thanksgiving meal

Local foods offer a cornucopia of fresh Thanksgiving options

Farmdoc Illinois Economic Summit: Farm management guide in difficult times

Healthy Meals in the Field for Farm Families

Have You Inspected Your Well?

Extension initiative supports urban ag programs, career paths for youth

Make hitting the hay a priority during harvest

Take time for electrical safety during fall harvest

Farmdoc expands field crop resources with launch of new website

Funding increases fresh produce availability to local residents in need

New educators and specialists join Illinois Extension team

Learn to extend your gardening season at free Extension webinar

Raise chickens in your own backyard

Enjoy home-grown asparagus with backyard gardening webinar

Follow safe food production practices: COVID-19 facts for farms, markets, and gardens

Time to Prune Your Raspberry and Blackberry Plants

Over 50 Fruit and Vegetable Growers Attend University of Illinois Extension’s Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Conference

Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Joins Extension

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training

FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food Certification Training

Farm Life is Uncontrollable, Know the Warning Signs of Stress

Small Farmers Invited to Free Extension Webinars

Extension to Host Industrial Hemp Workshops throughout Southern Illinois

Extension staff honored for ag literacy programming

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course

Produce Safety Alliance - Grower Training Course

Extension Highlights Research at Jackson County

Extension Hosts Ewing Agronomy Field Day

Jackson County Extension Office to Host Twilight Meeting

Dixon Springs Ag Center to Host Twilight Meeting

Mileur Orchard to Host Upcoming Twilight Meeting

Twilight Meeting Provides information on High Tunnels to Local Residents

Residents Learn about Production and Marketing of Fruit

Ewing Agronomy Field Day

Staff (9)

Sarah Batka

Local Food Systems and Small Farms Program Coordinator

Alex Burbach

Alex Burbach

Jo Daviess County Program Coordinator

Sara Farley

Sarah Farley

Local Food Systems and Small Farms Extension Educator

Nick Frillman

Nick Frillman

Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator

Doug Gucker staff photo

Douglas B. Gucker

Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator

Nikki Keltner

Nikki Keltner

Program Coordinator - Stephenson County

Grace Margherio

Grace Margherio

Local Foods and Small Farms Educator

Grant McCarty

Grant McCarty

Extension Educator Local Food Systems and Small Farms

Kathryn Pereira

Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator