ISAP is excited to announce the addition of University of Illinois Extension as a contributing partner hoping to create meaningful and positive change in agriculture in the state of Illinois.
University of Illinois Extension is the flagship outreach effort of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, offering educational programs to residents of all of Illinois’ 102 counties and far beyond. Extension provides practical translations of cutting-edge research to help people, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future. Illinois Extension offers educational programs in five broad areas:
- Energy and environmental stewardship
• Food safety and security
• Economic development and workforce preparedness
• Family health, financial security and wellness
• Youth development
More than 1.5 million Illinois residents take part in Extension programs each year, including nearly 200,000 who participate in 4-H youth programs. Each month, U of I Extension webpages draw more than 5 million page views from people in more than 200 countries.
Illinois communities are directly served by Extension staff in 27 units located throughout Illinois. Its network of educators develop and deliver in-depth programming through a variety of face-to-face and technology-assisted means. As part of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System, Illinois Extension draws on research-based expertise from land-grant universities across the country. Volunteers who serve on local advisory councils provide direction for U of I Extension programming, ensuring that programs continue to meet critical needs.
Jennifer Woodyard, University of Illinois Extension watershed outreach associate said, “Reaching the nutrient loss reduction goals outlined in the NLRS will require a collaborative effort. Illinois Extension is pleased to join ISAP as a partner with other organizations around the state striving to improve water quality here and downstream.”
To achieve the goals outlined in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, NLRS, collaboration from conservation partners around the state is essential. Farmers and other stakeholders across the state who are interested in reducing agriculture’s nutrient inputs into local water bodies are seeking solutions that are economically and agronomically sound.
Samantha Koon, University of Illinois Extension director of communications expressed, “The underlying issues addressed through the NLRS are a pressing concern for both agricultural producers and stewards of the land. Through the ISAP partnership, Illinois Extension is taking another active step forward in the development and dissemination of programming needed to create meaningful change in this area.” She continued, “This partnership allows us to leverage a larger network of resources in our efforts to support the economic, environmental and sustainability issues that are so tightly connected within the agricultural sector.”
The ISAP team is excited to bring aboard new members and groups that will continue to build the momentum towards better agriculture practices in Illinois.
Illinois Extension is based in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and works with all colleges and units of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information regarding Illinois Sustainable Partnership please visit our webpage at https://ilsustainableag.org/
