College of ACES, Extension deepen research partnership with $2M investment
More than a century ago, the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign welcomed Illinois Extension as a vital partner in its mission to deliver research-backed solutions to the people and industries of Illinois. Today, the college is reaffirming and deepening that partnership with a nearly $2 million investment in the Illinois ACES Land Grant Initiative.
The newly piloted competitive grant program will fund four three-year projects co-led by ACES researchers and Extension staff. Like other internal funding opportunities offered by the ACES Office of Research, IALGI supports innovative, interdisciplinary, and solutions-oriented research with federal funds. But IALGI uniquely draws on the expertise and connections of Extension personnel, who will help guide study design and implement results directly in communities across the state.
“Our Extension professionals are on the ground in all 102 Illinois counties. They know firsthand what their neighbors and local industries are struggling with,” said Matthew Vann, associate dean and director of Illinois Extension. “Bringing that insight and those stakeholder relationships into IALGI proposals will be key for delivering outcomes that matter for the people of Illinois.”
The four funded projects were selected from among 32 pre-proposals and nine invited proposals submitted over the last several months.
“While they were difficult decisions, our expert reviewers chose projects with the strongest potential to address real-world challenges by partnering with stakeholders who experience those challenges firsthand,” said Rodney Johnson, ACES associate dean for research. “They looked for projects that brought disciplines together in new ways and that demonstrated strong stakeholder engagement throughout the project life-cycle.”
Awarded projects and teams
Strengthening dairy management through Illinois Extension-led digital decision-support tools
Principal investigator: Tiago Bresolin (Animal Sciences)
Co-investigators: Felipe Cardoso (Animal Sciences/Extension), Jared Hutchins (Agricultural and Consumer Economics), Derek Nolan (Animal Sciences/Extension), and Josie Rudolphi (Agricultural and Biological Engineering/Extension)
Health problems in dairy cows often go undetected until milk production has already declined, increasing treatment costs and reducing animal well-being. This project brings together ACES researchers and Illinois Extension to develop and test a camera-based monitoring system that helps producers identify early signs of metabolic instability before visible symptoms appear. By combining advanced sensing technologies, biological and economic validation, and producer input, the team will create a practical decision-support tool that helps farmers make earlier, more informed management decisions. Extension partners will work directly with dairy producers to evaluate usability, build trust in the technology, and translate findings into statewide educational programs, strengthening Illinois’ leadership in digital livestock agriculture and workforce development.
Integrating satellite-based disease detection and economic decision tools for soybean disease management
Principal investigator: Boris Camiletti (Crop Sciences/Extension)
Co-investigators: Talon Becker (Extension), Dennis Bowman (Extension), Steve Brand (Extension), Elhan Ersoz (Crop Sciences), Dane Hunter (Extension), Nicolas Martin (Crop Sciences), Darren Mueller (Iowa State University & Crop Protection Network), Abigail Peterson (Illinois Soybean Association), Damon Smith (University of Wisconsin & Crop Protection Network)
Red crown rot and sudden death syndrome are major soilborne diseases of soybean, causing patchy, localized yield losses across fields. Because seed treatment decisions are typically made for entire fields, farmers often lack information on how much of a field is affected and whether higher-cost inputs are economically justified. This project will combine satellite imagery, field data, and machine learning to create a decision-support system that helps producers target disease management investments more effectively. Through the Crop Protection Network, the team will deliver two practical tools: a Disease-Area Estimator that maps affected portions of fields and an ROI Calculator that evaluates treatment decisions based on disease extent, risk, input costs, crop prices, and expected returns. Working with Extension, industry partners, and producers, the project will promote more precise, economically sound soybean disease management across the region.
Bridging the gap by bringing the land grant to the field: Building a basis for on-farm Extension-research on nutrient management
Principal investigator: Andrew Margenot (Crop Sciences/Extension)
Co-investigators: Talon Becker (Extension), Steve Brand (Extension), Kevin Brooks (Extension), Kaiyu Guan (Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences), Tara Heath (Extension), John Jones (Crop Sciences/Extension), Bin Peng (Crop Sciences/Extension), Luke Zwilling (Extension)
Farmers often face nutrient management challenges that require locally relevant solutions, yet it can be difficult to design and coordinate research and Extension programs that explicitly address on-farm needs identified by farmers. This project will create a five-step Extension-research workflow that brings researchers, Extension professionals, farmers, and agricultural stakeholders together to identify needs, co-design solutions, implement on-farm trials, synthesize results, and communicate findings. Through on-farm demonstrations, stakeholder feedback, and Extension educator training, the team will build durable infrastructure for farmer-centered research and outreach. Supported by the Illinois Nutrient Stewardship Alliance, and thus Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois Corn Growers Association, the project aims to strengthen university-community partnerships, accelerate adoption of practical nutrient management strategies, and establish a more responsive model for future Extension programming.
Smart weed management for Illinois specialty crops: Integrating AI, laser weeding, and precision spraying
Principal investigator: Sunoj Shajahan (Agricultural and Biological Engineering)
Co-investigators: Dennis Bowman (Extension), Salah Issa (Agricultural and Biological Engineering/Extension), Nathan Johanning (Extension), John Reid (Agricultural and Biological Engineering), Matthew Rogers (Agricultural and Biological Engineering)
Specialty crop growers face rising labor costs and limited weed-control options, making weed management one of the biggest barriers to profitability. Using horseradish as an initial test case, this project will develop an affordable technology platform that combines artificial intelligence, laser weeding, and precision spraying to target weeds only where they occur. The system is designed specifically for specialty crop operations, where existing technologies are often too expensive or poorly suited to production conditions. This project integrates safety considerations for laser weeding and optimizes operational conditions for field implementation. By creating adaptable, open-source tools that can be used with tractors, ATVs, and robotic platforms, the project aims to reduce labor demands while improving weed control. Extension-led demonstrations and grower co-design will support adoption and help transfer the technology to other Illinois specialty crops, including pumpkins, asparagus, and herbs.
Back to our land-grant roots
The initiative represents an intentional effort by the college to recommit to its land-grant heritage, the historic mission that drives its efforts in education, research, and outreach.
“Although Extension didn’t come along for nearly 30 years after Agricultural Experiment Stations were established by the Hatch Act of 1887, the intention was always for research and Extension to be tightly integrated, for both units to make up one college,” said ACES Dean Germán Bollero. “We’re doubling down on that commitment with IALGI, and we can’t wait to see the impacts ripple throughout Illinois.”