CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A multiyear analysis tested whether management zone maps based on soil conditions, topography or other landscape features can reliably predict which parts of a cornfield will respond best to higher rates of seeding or nitrogen application. The study found that – contrary to common assumptions – crop-plot responses to the same inputs vary significantly from year to year. The most unpredictable factor – the weather – seemed to have the biggest impact on how the crops responded to these inputs.

The new findings are reported in the Agronomy Journal. 

URBANA, Ill. – Looking for a family-friendly event this weekend? Check out the second annual Crop Sciences Harvest Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept.

URBANA, Ill. — David Bullock, professor of agricultural and consumer economics

URBANA, Ill. — A new analysis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service

URBANA, Ill. — Like every industry, modern farming relies heavily on plastics. Think plastic mulch lining vegetable beds, PVC pipes draining water from fields, polyethylene covering high tunnels, and plastic seed, fertilizer, and herbicide packaging, to name a few.

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) has something for everyone — and they don’t just mean the wealth of offerings in their tent at the 2023 Farm Progress Show.

Earth’s soil contains large stocks of carbon — even more carbon than in the atmosphere. A significant portion of this soil carbon is in organic form (carbon bound to carbon), called soil organic carbon (SOC). However, SOC has historically been greatly diminished by agricultural activity, releasing that carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.

URBANA, Ill. — Farmers can take their pick of engaging events with Agronomy Days at the University of Illinois Urb

URBANA, Ill. — For decades, International Agronomy Day at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has hosted international groups looking to learn more about the latest innovative technologies, research, and practices in sustainable agriculture.

URBANA, Ill. — For those whose primary experience with corn is the butter-drenched cob variety, it might come as a surprise that other forms of sweet corn are in trouble.