Russ Higgins is an Integrated Pest Management Educator with the University of Illinois Extension. He works with adults and youth in pest identification and control in the area of agricultural production. Higgins' territory includes 12 counties in northeastern Illinois.

Higgins holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois in agronomy and a Bachelor of Science in agricultural sciences from Western Illinois University. His professional affiliations include the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, Illinois Extension Agricultural Association and American Society of Agronomy. He is an American Society of Agronomy Certified Crop Advisor and a graduate of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program.

Areas of Expertise

• Private Pesticide Applicator Training

• Entomology in the Classroom

• Pesticide Safety for Master Gardeners

• Biological, cultural and chemical control of insects, weeds and diseases of field and forage crops

• Use of transgenic crops for the control of insects in corn

• GMO's in the Food Chain

• Field identification of insect, weed and disease problems

• Diagnosing herbicide injury symptoms and herbicide mode of action

• Research update focusing on western corn rootworm damage in first year corn

• Management strategies to control common soybean diseases such as sclerotinia white mold and sudden death syndrome.

• Soybean cyst nematode biology and management

Higgins is a native of Grundy County. His wife, Zan, teaches high school. They and their three children reside in rural Morris.