URBANA, Ill. – Americans use a lot of salt, according to Chris Enroth, a horticulture educator with University of Illinois Extension. “Potato chips aside, I’m talking about the amount of de-icing salt we put out into the environment every winter.”

How much deicing salt does America go through every year? A Purdue study showed property owners in the U.S. apply more than 15 million tons of deicing salts to their driveways, patios, and walkways, and that’s not including salt applied to roadways.

URBANA, Ill. – Rye has not traditionally been used as an ingredient in pig diets in the United States, but researchers from the University of Illinois are now investigating the digestibility of nutrients in the grain.

URBANA, Ill. – This week, families across the U.S. will gather around Thanksgiving tables in a traditional celebration of the season’s bounty. By improving how key crops transform sunlight into yield, Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) will one day help farmers put food on more tables worldwide, especially where it is needed most.

URBANA, Ill. – Light is essential to all plants, indoor and out.

“It is easy enough to spot plants that aren’t receiving enough light to grow, but what about flowering, which is promoted by light sensitivity in plants?” said Andrew Holsinger, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “The type of plant and its location in the house are important for the ability to flower.”

URBANA, Ill. - A recent rally in soybean prices rested on the potential for a trade deal between the United States and China. A few rallies occurred since the escalation of trade issues between the U.S. and China in June. According to University of Illinois agricultural economist Todd Hubbs, the question becomes should one sell on rallies associated with trade negotiations. 

“An analysis of current projections of supply and foreign consumption along with a discussion of recent developments in soybean exports may help in this decision,” Hubbs explains.

URBANA, Ill. – While winter can give gardeners a nice break from their usual garden maintenance, they undoubtedly miss the ability to harvest and enjoy the fresh garden bounty. “Grow fresh, flavorful herbs indoors this winter to add some green to your home and zest to your recipes,” says Brittnay Haag, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

URBANA, Ill. – The University of Illinois has entered a public-private partnership to build a new state-of-the-art Feed Technology Center near campus for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. The highly anticipated new facility will not simply replace the 1920s-era feed mill at the corner of St. Mary’s Road and 4th Street in Urbana; it will cement Illinois as a nationally recognized innovation hub in animal nutrition.

URBANA, Ill. — Two University of Illinois scientists, along with research and extension collaborators across 13 states, have received a national honor for improving water quality in relation to agricultural drainage. 

The 2018 National Excellence in Multistate Research Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture was presented to the group officially known as the North Central Extension Research Activities (NCERA) 217 Committee on Drainage Design and Management Practices to Improve Water Quality.

URBANA, Ill. – The USDA and the University of Illinois have announced nearly a quarter million dollars in new funding to support seven doctoral students in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, an interdisciplinary graduate program within the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at U of I.

URBANA, Ill. – With approximately 80 percentof our nation’s water supply going towards agriculture, it’s fair to say it takes a lot of water to grow crops. In a climate with less predictable rainfall patterns and more intense droughts, scientists at the University of Illinois are working to reduce water consumption by developing more efficient crops.