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Upcoming events

CONNECT. LEARN. GROW

Vanilla cupcakes with white icing and a garnish on top of the icing.

Grow Your Food Business

Learn about the laws, certifications, processes, and practices required to run a home-based cottage food operation safely and legally in Illinois.

Find Cottage Food Resources

A chef cutting a green pepper on a cutting board with a variety of vegetables that are cut surrounding the cutting board.

Certified Food Protection Managers Course

This program meets the coursework and examination requirements set by the Illinois Department of Public Health. We offer courses within our unit throughout the year.

Course Info

Seeds sprouting in a a tray of containers.

Plan Your Garden

Growing your own food brings many rewards. Start planning your garden now to maximize both your garden space and the growing season.

Getting Started Gardening

Events

Taste of Extension

April 19, 2024

County

Montgomery

A landscape of a yard showing how to design your landscaping to manage rain and drainage.

Rain Garden Essentials

April 24, 2024

County

Christian

A sirloin steak being held with tongs cooking on a grill with flames around the steak.

4-H Meat Science Workshop

April 27, 2024

County

Christian

Two kids picking up trash and placing the trash in a trash bag.

4-H National Day of Service Clean-Up

April 27, 2024

County

Macoupin

More Events

News Releases

April 16, 2024

Get tools to manage non-native plants and insects at Illinois Invasive Species Symposium
URBANA, Ill. — Spotted lanternflies were found in Illinois for the first time in 2023. Quagga and zebra mussels clog water intake pipes on Lake Michigan, and every spring, invasive Bradford Callery pear trees and amur bush honeysuckle bloom across Illinois communities instead of native...

April 16, 2024

Get your pressure canner tested for free by Illinois Extension
URBANA, Ill. — Spring is a great time to take inventory of your canning equipment to prepare for the summer canning season. If you have a dial gauge pressure canner, make it a habit to get it tested by Illinois Extension every year. Various...

A person having an on online appointment

April 15, 2024

Unlock better hearing and discover teleaudiology solutions with Illinois Extension
URBANA, Ill. — Hearing is not merely a sense but serves as a gateway to communication and connection with the world. However, many individuals face challenges with hearing loss, significantly impacting their daily lives. Recognizing this, individuals must educate themselves and understand the...

April 15, 2024

Six replacement trees for invasive Callery pear
URBANA, Ill. — Now considered an invasive species, Callery pear is a widely used ornamental flowering tree with negative effects on native ecosystems. The tree is still bought, sold, and planted because it has not yet made the...

two morel mushrooms growing on the forest floor

April 10, 2024

Spring brings opportunity to forage wild mushrooms
URBANA, Ill. — Spring is a time of change. Migrating birds return. Ephemeral wildflowers start popping up. And morel mushrooms start appearing prompting enthusiastic mushroom hunters to scour forests across Illinois in search of the elusive and delectable fungi. Determined foragers...

More News Releases

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