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Agriculture

New agroforestry maps plot environmental, social, and economic benefits of trees

There’s a longstanding attitude in many farming communities that trees and agriculture don’t mix. But agroforestry — the intentional integration of trees and shrubs in agricultural systems, such as planting trees as windbreaks, integrating trees on pastures, or growing tree crops intercropped with annual crops — can provide a multitude of benefits to both farmers and landscapes. So far, in the U.S. Midwest, these benefits have gone unrealized, with vanishingly small adoption rates.  

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AIFARMS researchers showcase groundbreaking AgTech and AI innovations

Yesterday, U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and the ITI Institute joined top researchers and policymakers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to see how AI is reshaping agriculture to address key challenges in food security, sustainability, and workforce development.

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Gene-edited soil bacteria could provide third source of nitrogen for corn production

If corn was ever jealous of soybean’s relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, advancements in gene editing could one day even the playing field.

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U. of I. project uses large-scale, real-world data to improve farm management practices

Agricultural field trials can provide crucial information that helps scientists and farmers optimize production and reduce environmental impacts.

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Climate-smart spuds can take the heat

A team from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions. This adaptation may provide greater food security for families dependent on potatoes, as these are often the same areas where the changing climate has already affected multiple crop seasons.

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Study: Innovative light technology is safe, effective for mitigating fungal contamination of cereal grains

Fungal contamination of cereal grains poses a substantial threat to food security and public health while causing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses annually.

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Will agricultural weeds finally claim the upper hand in a changing climate?

A few years back, a group of weed scientists showed that soil-applied herbicides are less effective against agricultural weeds in the context of our changing climate.

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New Illinois study explores adoption of robotic weeding to fight superweeds

Most corn and soybean fields in the U.S. are planted with herbicide-resistant crop varieties. However, the evolution of superweeds that have developed resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing current weed management strategies. Agricultural robotics for mechanical weeding is an emerging technology that could potentially provide a solution.

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Honey bees in demand: New contract strategies to support pollination services

As the world’s native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in great demand, and truckloads of bee colonies travel the country to accommodate crop growers.

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Multi-state center provides mental health support for farmers, agricultural workers

Agricultural producers and farm workers experience stressful working conditions that result in anxiety and depression at higher rates than the general population. At the same time, access to mental health care is often lacking in rural areas.

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