The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is developing one of the nation's largest long-term agricultural research sites with a farmer-driven approach aimed at addressing future challenges in crop production, soil health and water management.
Located a few miles south of the university's main campus, the Alma Mater Plots consist of 64 individually tile-drained, 1-acre research plots, making them the largest experiment of their kind. University researchers are inviting farmers, industry representatives and the public to help shape the long-term research agenda, with a public tour and feedback session scheduled for Aug. 11.
The project has spent the past year gathering input from Illinois agricultural stakeholders before establishing permanent experimental treatments. Researchers have conducted more than a dozen focus groups across the state involving more than 140 farmers and plan to continue collecting feedback from farmers, industry and policy stakeholders through the end of 2026.
The initiative reflects the university's effort to ensure research priorities align with producers' needs and management challenges. Advisory board members have emphasized that farmer participation will help produce research that is both practical and more likely to be adopted in the field.
The Alma Mater Plots are intended to build on the legacy of the university's historic Morrow Plots, which will mark their 150th anniversary in 2026. The Morrow Plots are the second-oldest continuously operating agricultural experiment in the world.
While the original Morrow Plots encompass a single acre divided into 24 subplots, the new research site offers a much larger scale with room for future expansion beyond its current 64 plots. Researchers say the additional acreage will provide stronger statistical power and allow studies that better reflect commercial farming conditions.
Several research priorities have emerged from farmer discussions, including water quality, soil health, regenerative agriculture and farm profitability.
A defining feature of the Alma Mater Plots is the installation of individually monitored drainage tiles beneath every plot. Since the site was established in 2024, researchers have been collecting baseline water quality data to support future studies evaluating how cropping systems, fertilizer programs and management practices influence nutrient movement and drainage water quality.
Researchers also expect the site to evaluate strategies that improve fertilizer efficiency, reduce nitrate losses and examine whether practices such as legume cover crops can lower dependence on fertilizer and herbicides while maintaining profitability.
Interest in regenerative agriculture has been a recurring theme among participants. Farmers and conservation organizations have encouraged the university to include regenerative production systems in long-term trials to better document their agronomic, environmental and economic performance under Illinois conditions.
Although the long-term research treatments have not yet been finalized, the plots are already being used for a three-year Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research project evaluating protocols for enhanced-efficiency fertilizers.
University researchers say the experimental design is intended to remain flexible so future generations can adapt research priorities as agriculture evolves, allowing the Alma Mater Plots to continue serving producers for decades to come.
Source: University of Illinois, "Envisioning the next 150 years of crop research with the Alma Mater Plots"