Have you attended the University of Illinois Agronomy Day in the past and are looking for information to attend this year? Times have changed, and so has the dynamic of the traditional U of I Agronomy Day. In 2022, the U of I Crop Sciences Department and Illinois Extension are transitioning the one-day event to a series of field days all growing season long.

“We wanted to make use of our research farms as a living classroom,” says Adam Davis, head of crop sciences. “By having mostly outdoor events spread throughout the growing season, we aim to showcase the diversity of projects, plants and people on our farms.”

Like normal, the program will consist of field days, research demonstration plots and the latest research findings, he adds. But this year, participants will also take part in shade tree talks — a less formal traditional outreach talk.

And Davis says if you want to see work on the research farms in action, then pull up a seat for on-farm tailgates.

“An on-farm tailgate is an impromptu invitation for our stakeholders to visit us informally on our research farms to see something interesting as it’s happening,” he explains. “No tents, no food — just a field operation or demo plot and conversation.”

Here’s a list of events already on the calendar:

Plus, events such as a specialty crop field day, energy farm tour, carbon quantification day, miscanthus breeding field day and miscanthus harvest will happen sometime during the growing season.

The key is to continue checking the U of I Crop Sciences website periodically to learn about events that will take place, Davis says. And pay attention, as some events may require registration and costs to attend.