URBANA, Ill. – Plants are designed to travel. They might not stand up and walk, but many plants produce seeds or other bits that can be carried long distances by wind or animals and start growing. While that might be great news for the plant, escapes like these can disrupt natural ecosystems and be costly to remove.

But just how costly?

URBANA, Ill. – Chronic wasting disease, the prion disease affecting white-tailed deer and other cervids, is spreading. With documented cases in 29 U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, three Scandinavian countries, and South Korea, free-ranging and captive cervids are under threat. Efforts to conserve endangered deer against this backdrop are understandably fraught.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll states that roughly half of registered voters say climate change is either “very important” or “one of the most important issues” in their vote for Congress this year. However, many citizens struggle to understand their place in this global issue.

URBANA, Ill. – Decades of corn breeding efforts emphasizing yield have contributed to modern hybrids with shallower and less complex root systems than their predecessors. Because the breeding and selection of most modern hybrids has taken place in environments with high nutrient concentrations, optimal weed control, and soil moisture conditions, hybrids perform best under high input systems.

URBANA, Ill. – Agricultural producers around the world must adapt to changing weather patterns. Much research has focused on mitigation strategies for crop production, but livestock producers face unique challenges.

URBANA, Ill. – Paul Ellinger, former ACE faculty and department head, was recently appointed vice president, chief financial officer, and comptroller of the University of Illinois System, after filling the interim role since July 2021. In this position, he oversees budgeting and finance for the vast U of I system network encompassing multiple campuses, a hospital, an airport, research enterprises, and more.

The fifteenth year of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Global Academy was appropriately marked with our faculty and staff working on projects around the world in countries including Colombia, Tanzania, and Bolivia.