The Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics marked a major milestone in 2007, celebrating 75 years of teaching and research. Departmental research initiatives this year span a variety of economic and policy-based issues, including: demonstrating how research can improve the way we use our public and private land in Illinois; exploring how we define conservation areas and reward those who protect the land; and showing how we can help connect farmers and producers with customers in order to increase their financial sustainability.
Vist the department website for more information.
From producer to consumer and back again, the food chain winds its way from field to fork across America. But connecting the product with the customer can be difficult, particularly for smaller operations that may not have the resources to do extensive marketing. The MarketMaker website is helping make those connections on a multi-state level.
An Illinois program that targets environmentally sensitive cropland in the Illinois River basin needs some fundamental changes to effectively meet its goals, according to a researcher in the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics.
Public conservation areas in Illinois appear to discourage private conservation efforts in adjacent areas, according to a research project involving a University of Illinois environmental economist.