A long trusted resource for corn belt farmers developed at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has expanded its portfolio to provide in-person and online targeted professional development to agricultural professionals worldwide. 

“Farmdoc Academy is built on the same principles of innovation and excellence that have made farmdoc a trusted name in agricultural education since 1999 and is responding to the demand for tailored, accessible learning experiences,” said Nick Paulson, director of farmdoc.

Since launching in fall 2024, farmdoc Academy has hosted several in-person programs on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus that align with its mission to empower industry leaders with actionable insights and practical tools that enhance agricultural innovation, resilience, and sustainability.

Farmdoc Academy is led by a team of experts from ACES’ Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics that include economists, agronomists, policy analysts, and agribusiness professionals who bring unparalleled expertise and passion for the agricultural industry. 

“This summer we have hosted professionals from different companies including John Deere, Valent Biosciences, and Sumitomo. During these programs, we covered topics such as farm and risk management, biofuels market, and agricultural production in the U.S. Midwest,” said Joana Colussi, instructor, research and learning innovation coordinator, and South American specialist for farmdoc. 

Farmdoc Academy provides a variety of professional development opportunities, including:

• Interactive, in-person training sessions covering topics including agricultural finance, farm and risk management, policy, marketing, and digital agriculture.
• Tailored in-person programs designed to meet the unique needs of agribusiness companies and organizations.
• An online graduate certificate in Agribusiness and Sustainable Food Production Economics that requires just two semesters of online coursework.
• Many other resources, including guidance with farmdoc tools, articles, and databases to support continuous learning. 

“The experience with the certificate program at the University of Illinois was transformative. The topics covered were relevant and applicable to the realities of modern agriculture. I left the program feeling inspired and full of practical ideas to implement in my daily work,” said Evanildo Silva, head of innovation projects at Áster Máquinas (John Deere).

Farmdoc Academy is already scheduled to host six more groups during fall 2025, including SLC Agrícola, considered the world’s largest soybean producer with over 1.6 million acres in Brazil; Coamo, the largest agricultural cooperative in Latin America; and Caltech Agro, an input dealer from Paraguay.

If you are interested in becoming part of the farmdoc Academy community, learn more at https://farmdoc.illinois.edu/farmdoc-academy or email the team at  ace-farmdocacademy@illinois.edu. 

About Farmdoc: Farmdoc was launched in 1999 as a simple webpage with links to other existing webpages for farm financial analysis spreadsheets, crop insurance tools, and evaluation of market advisory services. Over the next two decades, it evolved to adapt new technologies to user preferences to provide U.S. Corn Belt crop and livestock producers with constant access to integrated information and expertise to better manage their farm businesses. To do this, farmdoc made a commitment to publish one new analysis each day. As online learning became increasingly popular, farmdoc started hosting webinars and posting videos on YouTube, and in 2024 launched farmdoc Academy which is dedicated to advancing knowledge and decision-making in the global agribusiness industry.