As we prepare for the 2026 Biomass Webinar Series to kick off in July (register here), please enjoy this first in a series of posts highlighting presentations from the 2025 Biomass Webinar Series. This one is from Matt Langholtz, the lead author of the 2023 Billion Ton Report, which is the authoritative assessment of how much biomass is available to use for biofuels without affecting current food and wood use.…
You can also read the article in Portuguese and Spanish
Wheat acreage in Illinois has trended downward for much of the past 50 years, declining from about 1.5 million acres in the 1970s to an average of approximately 570,000 acres between 2015 and 2022. Acreage rebounded in more recent years, averaging nearly 750,000 acres over the past five years, with 2026 acreage estimated at 720,000. This recent increase began with increases in wheat prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been sustained by outstanding yields.…
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed an innovative artificial intelligence method designed to mine massive amounts of drone-captured field data, revealing hidden, highly heritable genetic traits in crops.
For decades, agriculture has relied on visual cues and simple calculations to gauge plant health. The widely used Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), for example, uses just two bands of light reflectance to mathematically determine the greenness of a field. Now, an interdisciplinary team is pushing beyond these traditional boundaries.…
We had a warm and wet end to March and start to April across the prairie state. Average temperatures this week ranged from the high 40s in northern Illinois to the high 50s in southern Illinois, between 4 and 10 degrees above normal.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Some of the more impressive high temperatures this week included 93 degrees in Jacksonville and 88 in Champaign. March ended around 6 degrees warmer than normal statewide,…
New research from the University of Illinois Herbicide Evaluation Group indicates that while certain preemergence herbicides can cause early-season damage to early-planted soybeans, the crop’s yield is generally unaffected as long as adequate stand counts are maintained.
Under the direction of Extension Weed Scientist Aaron Hager, U of I Research Specialist Logan Miller has been investigating potential issues with herbicide premixes and pre-plant herbicides used on early-planted soybeans. The study evaluated soybeans planted at early dates,…
How is the ongoing conflict in Iran impacting global agriculture? In this farmdoc daily webinar, University of Illinois agricultural economists Nick Paulson and Gary Schnitkey are joined by industry experts to break down the recent spikes in fertilizer and fuel prices.
The panel discusses the immediate effects on the 2026 crop year, the critical differences between this market shock and the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, and what decreased input affordability means for farmer profitability heading into 2027.…
This week was quintessential spring in Illinois. Average temperatures ranged from the mid-40s in northern Illinois to the high 50s in southern Illinois, between 6 and 12 degrees above normal.
by Trent Ford, State Climatologist
ISWS PRI University of Illinois
Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 92 degrees in Springfield and 89 in Bloomington-Normal. Springfield’s 90 degree day this week was the earliest in the year since 1907, and only the second time on record where the capital hit 90 in March.…
A series of targeted strikes on critical oil and natural gas facilities across the Middle East has ignited fears of a global supply chain crisis, threatening both worldwide energy stability and the spring agricultural planting season.
During the middle of March, Iranian forces launched attacks against a Saudi Arabian oil facility on the Red Sea and oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. In a separate, direct retaliation for an earlier Israeli raid on the South Pars gas field,…
As corn yields continue to climb across the Midwest, farmers are facing a growing operational challenge: managing the massive amounts of crop residue left behind after the combine rolls through.
In a recent webinar hosted by the Illinois Soybean Association, University of Illinois Crop Scientist Connor Sible detailed multi-layered strategies for breaking down crop residue, ensuring that fields are clean, healthy, and ready for spring planting.
Speaking with University of Illinois Extension’s Todd Gleason, Sible emphasized that residue management is a critical issue across all farming systems,…
We had a very warm and active weather week that reminded us that we are in spring. Average temperatures this week ranged from the mid-40s in northern Illinois to the low 60s in southern Illinois, between 8 and 16 degrees above normal. Some of the more impressive daytime high temperatures this week included 86 degrees in Jacksonville, which was the warmest March temperature on record there since 1986. Peoria hit 83 degrees this week, which is the earliest 80 degree high on record there.…