URBANA, Ill. - Connections – in any industry – matter. They’ve always mattered to ADM’s Greg Webb, the 2020 Friend of ACES award recipient from the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

ACES Dean Kim Kidwell and the college presented Webb with the award during the Farm Progress Show in Decatur this week. Kidwell, Chancellor Robert Jones, and Webb gave remarks during the presentation in the ADM tent.

URBANA, Ill. -- Land is the planet’s limiting resource. We need land for food, biofuel, feed, ecosystem services, and more. But all land is not equal. Concerns about diverting land under food/feed crops to biofuel feedstocks have led to interest in using marginal land to produce these dedicated bioenergy crops for advanced biofuels. Marginal land has typically been defined as land that is of low quality and not in food crop production.

URBANA, Ill. – Seven new faculty members joined the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois in the past year. Their expertise will add to the existing strengths in several academic departments and units, as well as University of Illinois Extension, a key part of the college.

URBANA, Ill. – “See Yourself at ACES” when you join the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Farm Progress Show 2021 in Decatur Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

URBANA, Ill. – Does relationship quality continue to worsen, stabilize, or improve for distressed, help-seeking couples before they receive assistance? A team of researchers sought to answer that question in a new study examining what happens to couples who seek online help for their relationship, but have to wait six months before beginning an intervention program.

Compost—organic material that is added to soil to help plants grow—is widely used by gardeners because it improves soil health and reduces the amount of organic waste in landfills. Although several studies have looked at commercial composts, very few have investigated backyard compost samples. In a new study, researchers have measured the number of pathogens in both types of compost.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Sixteen civil service employees were recognized for exceptional performance by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – eight this year and eight in 2020.

URBANA, Ill. ­– Most scientists agree climate change has a profound impact on U.S. agricultural production. But estimates vary widely, making it hard to develop mitigation strategies. Two agricultural economists at the University of Illinois take a closer look at how choice of statistical methodology influences climate study results. They also propose a more accurate and place-specific approach to data analysis.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —  Plants use sunlight to generate their food through photosynthesis. When the sun rises each morning, plants must prepare themselves to receive nutrients from the sunlight, which takes time. Decreasing the prep time in plants could hold the key to improving yields in many crop varieties.

URBANA, Ill. — A team of scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a bioprocess using engineered yeast that completely and efficiently converted plant matter consisting of acetate and xylose into high-value bioproducts.