Jim and Ellen Holmes have devoted their lives to service — first to their country and now to the next generation of students.

Jim Holmes grew up on a small Angus cattle farm near Dunlap, Illinois, where problem-solving was part of everyday life.

“If something broke, you fixed it with a screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, and a hammer,” Jim said with a laugh.

Malawi’s Lower Shire Valley is changing. Over 14 years, the Shire Valley Transformation Program will turn 42,500 hectares (over 105,000 acres) into irrigated farmland, giving nearly 50,000 smallholder farmers a real chance at building prosperity and generational wealth.

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has reached the university-required $5 million threshold to officially establish the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications. 

The Sustainable Student Farm (SSF) is a cornerstone of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences community. This Friday, September 5th, from 3 to 6 p.m., the farm is opening its gates and welcoming visitors for its annual open house.There will be food offerings and tours of the farm, as well as talks from faculty and SSF partners.

A critical program supporting healthy communities in Illinois and across the country took a devastating hit on July 4 when HR1, the federal budget reconciliation bill, was passed and signed into law. In addition to slashing funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps), the bill eliminated funding altogether for SNAP’s companion program, SNAP-Education, which works with community partners to educate SNAP-eligible families and individuals on obesity prevention, healthy foods, active lifestyles, and stretching food dollars. 

Most birdwatchers are drawn to the dynamism of birds — snippets of a call as flyers twist and dive overhead, or a flash of wings in the bushes, gone before you can snap a picture. But a group of students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign goes out looking for a bleaker target: birds killed in collisions with buildings.

Many modern cancer treatments are highly effective at reducing or eliminating tumors, but they can also cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms that impact patients’ quality of life or lead to discontinuation of treatment. A new analysis from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers reveals the nutrition therapies that are most effective at minimizing GI distress. 

Agricultural stakeholders from around the globe gathered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for the bi-annual International Agronomy Day, where they learned about cutting-edge practices and innovations from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

In a decisive new study, crop scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service show that soybeans are doubly damaged by drought and ozone pollution, both of which are increasing across the globe due to climate change.