Blog Posts

The sun beats down over a partially harvested cornfield with two combines and a white pick up truck in foreground.
Read article: Landowner series - Using a flexible cash farm lease
Landowner series - Using a flexible cash farm lease
A flexible cash lease is an alternative to a straight cash lease. The flexible cash leash protects the farmer and landowner from economic loss. This...
Field of corn
Read article: Addressing nutrient loss through conservation: Precision Conservation Management
Addressing nutrient loss through conservation: Precision Conservation Management
An old red barn sits in a partially flooded corn field while gray clouds loom overhead.
Read article: Farm Drainage Series – Part 3: A Tile Main Multi-Farm Project
Farm Drainage Series – Part 3: A Tile Main Multi-Farm Project
Draining excess water from farm fields in Illinois is vital to food and renewable fuel production. However, the lack of adequate farm drainage is a...
A calculator sits next to a pile of yellow corn kernels.
Read article: Farmland Owner Series: Determining cash rent on Illinois farmland
Farmland Owner Series: Determining cash rent on Illinois farmland
One of the most consistently asked questions to University of Illinois Extension offices...

News Releases

Looking down the rows where a corn and soybean field edge meet
Corn after soy: New study quantifies rotation benefits and trade-offs
URBANA — While the majority of Midwestern farmers rotate corn and soybeans, commodity prices and corn yield advantages compel some to plant corn year after year. Although foundational research on the benefits of corn-soybean rotation goes back decades, University...
A presenter shares information on agriculture research at a field day presentation.
Local growers are invited to Agronomy Field Day at Ewing Demonstration Center
EWING, Ill. – Illinois Extension is excited to invite the public to their annual Agronomy Field Day at the Ewing Demonstration Center on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 9 a.m., with a free lunch to follow. The event will feature various educators and campus faculty as they provide best management...
a guy in a field of yellow brown eyes susans with a field of corn in the background
Farmer leads the way in environmental conservation efforts
LEWISTOWN, Ill. - Commercial row-crop agriculture and environmental conservation are not mutually exclusive. While large-scale farming operations can sometimes have negative environmental impacts, many farmers are increasingly adopting sustainable practices that promote biodiversity and...

Videos

Farm Management: Planting Two Corn Varieties at the Same Time

Ride along with Kevin Brooks as he interviews the farmer as he plants two different varieties of corn at the same time. There are many factors that go into making that decision: weather, insect, production, yield.

Connect with Kevin Brooks, Illinois Extension Farm Business Management and...

Staff

Profile image coming soon

John Jones

Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Soil Fertility Extension Specialist