At our January meeting, the Chicago Farmers are pleased to welcome Prof. Adam Davis, who will share timely insights on how cropping systems diversification can help secure the future of Illinois agriculture. With increasing climate variability and market pressures, Prof. Davis will explore how diversified farming practices can build resilience, improve soil health, and open new economic pathways for producers. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the state’s leading agricultural researchers about strategies that can shape a more sustainable and profitable future for farming in Illinois.

Dr. Adam Davis is professor and head of the University of Illinois Department of Crop Sciences. He is internationally known as a scholar of agroecology, with an emphasis on ecological weed management. His research makes use of both experimental and modeling approaches to solve applied weed ecology problems in field crop production systems. Research foci include modeling the evolution and spread of herbicide resistant weeds, developing multi-tactic integrated weed management systems for organic and low-external-input farms, predicting changing distributions of weedy and invasive plant species under global change and conducting risk analysis of bioenergy crop invasion potential.

Dr. Davis grew up in the New York City metro area and was delighted to discover that he could find a way to use his scientific skills in service to society through a career in agriculture. He earned a B.A. in Biology from Yale University, a M.A.T. in secondary science education from Brown University, a M.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from University of Maine, and a Ph.D. in Crop Production and Physiology (Weed Science) from Iowa State University, followed by postdoctoral work at Michigan State University. Prior to joining the University of Illinois faculty as department head in 2018, he served for 14 years as Research Ecologist and Lead Scientist with the USDA-ARS Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit in Urbana, IL, where he also served as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Illinois Crop Sciences Department.

Dr. Davis has a strong interest in participatory research and extension through stakeholder networks and is committed to delivering world class educational programs to train the next generation of agricultural innovators and leaders.