URBANA, Ill. – Experts often recommend that developing countries focus on high-value export crops such as fruits and vegetables. However, the effect of such practices on conflict-affected countries is not clear, and there is a risk that higher export revenue may lead to increased insurgent violence, according to a University of Illinois study.

The research focused on banana production in the Philippines and showed a correlation between higher banana prices and insurgent activity in certain areas, says U of I agricultural economist Benjamin Crost, who is a co-author of the study.

URBANA, Ill. – Construction is set to begin Monday, June 3, on a new, state-of-the-art Feed Technology Center south of the University of Illinois campus, signaling a new era of animal nutrition innovation. The highly anticipated new facility will be built by ASI Industrial, based in Billings, Montana.

URBANA, Ill. – Nicki Engeseth has been named head of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at University of Illinois.

During her 23-year career at the University of Illinois, Engeseth has successfully held several administrative positions, including serving as interim head of FSHN on two occasions. She teaches courses in food chemistry, and is a highly regarded researcher with an excellent record of publications and grant acquisition.

URBANA, Ill. – Illinois wheat growers, take heart. A new University of Illinois study shows no evidence of a highly toxic Fusarium head blight (FHB) variant, known as NA2, in the wheat-growing region of the state. The study also reinforces the effectiveness of wheat resistance to the fungal disease.

URBANA, Ill. – This month, the Illinois State Board of Higher Education voted to officially approve the merger of the agricultural education and agricultural communications programs in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. The new program, Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications (ALEC), went into effect immediately following the decision. 

The merged program will host agricultural education, agricultural communications, and organizational and community leadership.

The relative contribution of new mutations to the problem of herbicide resistance is poorly understood. In a new study, Illinois crop scientists hoped to determine the baseline mutation rate for a plant of the genus Amaranthus, a group that includes waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, and other problematic agricultural weeds.

Read more from the Illinois News Bureau.

URBANA, Ill. - “This farm has quite a story,” said Kim Kidwell, dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, speaking to a gathering of friends this past week who had come together to celebrate a family farm—a legacy farm—that has supported Illinois youth for decades.

URBANA, Ill. – Interest in nutrition and diet choices that could prevent the development of cancer is not new. With recent diet trends, the question of carbohydrate nutrition and cancer risk has been of special interest.

While there is evidence of nutrition’s role in decreasing risk of developing certain kinds of cancers, research in the area of what cancer patients should eat in the period after diagnosis to improve their prognosis is limited, especially in regards to carbohydrate nutrition.

URBANA, Ill. – Although many Illinois farmers convert cropland into grassland specifically to benefit wildlife, the memo may not be getting through to eastern cottontail rabbits. A recent University of Illinois study suggests cottontails are spending too much time in crop fields, underestimating the dangers that await them there.    

URBANA, Ill. – The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois has acquired a work of art by renowned painter Billy Morrow Jackson.

The painting, “Windwalker,” was donated to the college by the artist’s wife of 30 years, Blanche Mary Jackson. It is currently on display in the dean’s conference room, 224 Mumford Hall.