In the News

LLCC alum Brad Booker was in the news after winning an Oscar for best animated short film.

Chad Jones, head coach, women’s basketball, was interviewed by WICS on Friday, March 15 about the team earning a spot in the national championships.

Bill Harmon, professor and ag program coordinator, and LLCC student Alex Sidener were interviewed by the Illinois Farm Bureau during the national Professional Agricultural Student (PAS) Conference held at LLCC last week.

LLCC ag students Jhia Walker and Wes Bland were interviewed by WFMB about the PAS Conference.

Samantha Reif, professor of geology, was interviewed by WTIM on March 12 about the upcoming total solar eclipse, which will take place on April 8. LLCC will be hosting a Solar Eclipse Watch Party, including trivia, snacks, music, activities and a live stream of the solar eclipse experience from southern Illinois.

LLCC to host national PAS conference

LLCC will be hosting the national Professional Agricultural Student (PAS) Conference March 11-14 on its campus in Springfield. There will be approximately 500 attendees, including agriculture students and faculty from across the country.

The theme for the 2024 conference is Cultivating Character: Agriculture’s Future Grows Here. PAS is a nationally recognized student organization that brings education and industry together in agriculture.

LLCC hosts the Illinois Junior Academy of Science Region 10 Science Fair next week

LLCC will host the Illinois Junior Academy of Science Region 10 Science Fair on Saturday, March 16 from noon to 2 p.m. in Cass Gym. The event will include students in grades 7-12 from a 13-county area including Adams, Brown, Cass, Christian, Green, Hancock, Macoupin, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler and Scott.

The public is invited to view the science projects on display from noon to 2 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held at 2 p.m.

National FFA Week Photo happens today at 9:45 a.m.

National Future Farmers of America logo.It’s National FFA Week!

LLCC Agriculture  invites all faculty, staff and students who were FFA members in high school to bring their FFA jacket for a photo today, Feb. 21.

We want to showcase all of our previous FFA members for social media. If you are interested in participating, please join us in the lobby of the Kreher Agriculture Center at 9:45 a.m. today for a group photo. And no need to worry, if your high school jacket won’t fit, you won’t have to wear it for the photo!

Thanks in advance for your participation! Reach out to liz.bland@llcc.edu with questions.

Richard Teeter and Sloan partner for real-world training

Sloan precision ag equipment trainingRichard Teeter, professor of agriculture, recently attended electrical and hydraulic diagnostic technical training through Sloan, one of the largest John Deere dealerships. “I will be incorporating this into my precision ag and fertilizer equipment classes,” he says. “Students will gain valuable knowledge in installing and troubleshooting precision ag equipment.” Teeter plans to purchase multi-meters and diagnostic training units to use in the classroom beginning this semester. Sloan has also offered to bring machinery to campus and host classes at Sloan’s local facilities for real-world training.

Congratulations to Dr. Brent Todd

Brent ToddDr. Brent Todd, dean of natural and agricultural sciences, successfully defended his dissertation on Dec. 19, 2023, at University of Illinois Springfield. His dissertation is entitled: “Effect of Student Success Courses on Academic Outcomes at a Rural Illinois Community College District.” His advisor is Dr. Robert Blankenberger.

Congratulations Dr. Todd!

Fall 2023 bird banding highlights

Fall 2023 was LLCC’s 22nd banding season (12th spring season) since the station’s inception (fall 2012). Below are a few of the highlights:

  • We banded 1,410 birds of 77 species over 64 banding days. This translates into 22.0 birds banded per day.
  • We also had 197 repeat captures (birds banded earlier during the fall 2023 season) and 29 return captures (birds banded during a previous season).
    • Two of the more interesting recaptures were a Black-capped Chickadee that was originally banded in 2016 and a Northern Cardinal that was originally banded in 2017.
  • Our highest one-day total for the season was 91 birds banded on Oct. 30.
  • The top five species banded (by abundance) for the season were as follows — species (# banded): Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco (139), American Goldfinch (136), House Finch  (122), Chipping Sparrow (95) and Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler (93).
  • The cumulative total number of birds banded (over 22 seasons) at the LLCC BBS is 36,040 birds of 135 species.
  • We continue to host many volunteers and guests, including a number of LLCC biology classes, UIS graduate students, and employees from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Natural History Survey.
  • Our spring banding operations are scheduled to begin March 14, 2024.

If you are interested in following our daily/weekly banding activities, we have two Facebook pages you are welcome to follow: Lincoln Land Community College Bird Banding Station (daily reports/photos of our banding activities at LLCC) and Lincoln Land Association of Bird Banders – LLABB (~ weekly reports/photos of banding activities at other sites throughout central Illinois).

Tony Rothering, professor of biology

Last week’s LLCC Ag events

Group of volunteers at Ag ExpoLast week, LLCC Ag hosted an invitational agronomy career development event for schools across Illinois. Ten FFA chapters competed. The event included equipment, insect, crop and weed identification, crop judging and an exam. LLCC Ag also hosted a dairy foods workout for FFA members to practice their skills for their section and state FFA events. The workout included an exam, cheese identification, milk grading and real versus artificial food identification. Seven schools competed in dairy foods.

In addition, LLCC’s second Ag Expo of the year took place on Friday, Dec. 1. There were 115 students in attendance who participated in workshops on ag sales, ag technology, food labels and information about the LLCC Ag program. Students also got to propagate a plant in the greenhouse and take it home with them. LLCC Ag ambassadors and student volunteers facilitated workshops, led groups and answered questions on a student panel.

Plant propagationweed identificationCheese tastingFood label workshop

Scholarship donors receive honey from LLCC West Lake Nature Grove

The LLCC Foundation would like to give a special thanks to David Cox, professor of biology and LLCC West Lake Nature Grove extraordinaire, for sharing his time and talents with our scholarship donors! Professor Cox bottled over 200 honey bears to provide a gift from “home” to our donors near and far. The honey bears were included in the gift packages and represent a hive of activity and growth for our LLCC campus, students and community. Thank you!

Dave Cox holding "honey bear"donor gift bags with popcorn, honey and other treats