SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – No matter how many times I do this, I always get nervous. I am demonstrating the proper use of a chainsaw to fell a tree and I want it to go well. After choosing the right tree, a medium-sized box elder, I walk through the steps out loud so that everyone in the class can hear me: One must assess any hazards, determine which way the tree is leaning and whether it might be rotten in the middle, find a safe escape route for when the tree starts falling.

URBANA, Ill. – As new technological innovations in agriculture continue to advance, it is critical to understand the safety implications of automated equipment. The Ag Safety Group at the University of Illinois has launched a series of initiatives to advance research and discussion of ag robotics safety and regulations.

BAYLIS, Ill. — The world’s agricultural needs are changing, and West Central Illinois is meeting the challenge with a new agricultural education center that invests in the future of farming. John Wood Community College opened the doors to the Agricultural Sciences Complex and the Fred L. Bradshaw Learning Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 9 in Baylis, just in time for fall classes.

Urbana, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it is funding a new collaboration between two institutes and a research center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that will create an integrated farm of the future in the U.S. Midwest.

URBANA, Ill. – The Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois will host a workshop on applied quantitative genetics for plant breeders June 1-3, 2022. The free workshop will give graduate students and other interested professionals the statistical tools to achieve greater crop breeding outcomes.

URBANA, Ill. – What are the most important factors to consider for developing effective drug use prevention programs? Many current programs for adolescents focus on elements including peer and family relationships, school connection, and youth’s self-confidence and self-assertion. However, a new study from the University of Illinois suggests another factor may be equally–or even more–influential: whether the youth believes drug use is wrong.

URBANA, Ill. – In Kirsten Wyatt’s agriculture science classroom in Paxton, an unusual piece of equipment helps high school students learn genomics. Not a microscope or a PCR machine, but a popcorn popper.

URBANA, Ill. – Buying and maintaining forested land can be daunting if landowners don’t know how to manage it. Fortunately, a new University of Illinois outreach program is here to help.

URBANA, Ill. – Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa use fertilizer well below recommended rates for optimal productivity. One reason is lack of trust in the products available from local agri-dealers, says Hope Michelson, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE) at University of Illinois.

URBANA, Ill. – “See Yourself at ACES” when you join the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Farm Progress Show 2021 in Decatur Aug. 31-Sept. 2.