2019 Certified Livestock Manager training workshops
URBANA, Ill. - The 2019 Certified Livestock Manager Training workshops, will be held in 11 locations throughout the state, beginning Jan. 30 in Springfield and concluding Feb. 28 back in Springfield. The University of Illinois Extension workshops provide Illinois livestock producers the manure management training they need to meet the requirements of the state's Livestock Management Facilities Act.
2018 Illinois Farm Economics Summit scheduled for December
URBANA, Ill. – Speakers from University of Illinois Extension and the farmdoc team from the U of I Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics will explore topics such as the 2019 outlook for crop and livestock prices, the farm profitability outlook and management challenges, the next farm bill, long-term trends in grain prices, and prospects for farmland values at the 2018 Illinois Farm Economics Summit in December.
ACES researchers among 2018’s most influential scientists
URBANA, Ill. – Of the nine Illinois researchers recently recognized by Clarivate Analytics as Highly Cited Researchers, three are affiliated with the Department of Crop Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. They include Elizabeth (Lisa) Ainsworth, Stephen Long, and Donald Ort.
Study explains waterhemp’s metabolic resistance to topramezone
URBANA, Ill. – Corn naturally tolerates certain herbicides, detoxifying the chemicals before they can cause harm. It’s what allows farmers to spray fields with the class of herbicides known as HPPD-inhibitors, which kill weeds such as waterhemp and Palmer amaranth and leave corn unscathed. But in more and more fields, the method is failing; waterhemp isn’t dying.
Study finds hybrid rye may be used as an alternative to corn in pig diets
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.
RIPE project receives additional $13 million to accelerate progress to redesign photosynthesis
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.
Illinois moving ahead with Feed Technology Center
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.
Illinois scientists recognized for research and extension efforts to improve regional water quality
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.
Breeding corn for water-use efficiency may have just gotten easier
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.
Weekly Outlook: Corn prices show lackluster response to smaller crop
URBANA, Ill. - The USDA reports released on Nov. 8 contained a lower corn yield, significant revisions to Chinese corn data, and a downward revision of some major corn consumption categories. Corn prices failed to respond despite the smaller crop size projection, explains University of Illinois agricultural economist Todd Hubbs.