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. – 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.

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. – 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. – Topping the list of Australia’s major crops, wheat is grown on more than half the country’s cropland and is a key export commodity. With so much riding on wheat, accurate yield forecasting is necessary to predict regional and global food security and commodity markets. A new study published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology shows machine-learning methods can accurately predict wheat yield for the country two months before the crop matures.

URBANA, Ill. – Continuing its longstanding support of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, the Illinois Farm Bureau today announced a financial commitment to the new Feed Technology Center to be built south of campus.

URBANA, Ill. – The Department of Crop Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, will host the 62^nd annual Agronomy Day this year on Aug. 22. The event, which showcases the latest scientific discoveries from ACES researchers and Extension specialists, will feature a larger number of presentations on more diverse topics than previous years.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Stephen P. Long, a professor of crop sciences and plant biology at the University of Illinois, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive. He is one of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates recognized for “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”

URBANA, Ill. – Technology in the agricultural industry continues to expand, and with it, the demand for employees prepared to work for agricultural companies. In an effort to build a talent pipeline, The Climate Corporation (Climate), a subsidiary of Bayer, made a $500,000 investment in a new major at the University of Illinois. Leading the digital agriculture revolution, the university launched a first-of-its-kind major combining computer sciences and crop sciences, which the Climate gift benefits.

URBANA, Ill. – Gary Schnitkey, a nationally recognized farm management expert, was honored as the Soybean Industry Chair in Agricultural Strategy in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics during an investiture ceremony at the University of Illinois on April 24. 

Schnitkey, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics at U of I, specializes in crop insurance, farm management and farmland economies, and he is a leading expert in the economics of Midwestern crop farms.