AUBURN, Ind. — The DeKalb County 4-H Horse & Pony Club Tack Auction will begin at 5 p.m. ET Feb. 25 at the DeKalb County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall, 708 S. Union St., Auburn.

New items available will include halters, saddles, bits, blankets, lead ropes, saddle pads and reins. Donations for the silent auction are appreciated. Concessions will be available.

Auction proceeds will benefit the DeKalb County 4-H Horse & Pony Club.

For more information, call the DeKalb County Extension office at 260-925-2562.

Master Gardener Intern Training

AUBURN, Ind. — Interested in becoming a master gardener? Master gardener intern training will be on Mondays and Thursdays, Feb. 27 through April 13, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET. Training will be Mondays at the DeKalb County Extension office, 215 E. 9th St., Auburn; and on Thursdays at the Steuben County Extension office, 317 S. Wayne St., Angola.

Topics will include:

• Soils and Plant Nutrition

• Plant Science

• Pesticide Safety and Pesticide Alternatives

• Plant Disease Diagnosis

• Insect Identification and Control

• Weed Identification and Control

• Lawn Care

• Vegetable Gardening

• Fruit Gardening

• Herbaceous

• Ornamentals

• Woody Ornamentals

• Invasive Species and Animal Pests

For more information, contact Elysia Rodgers, eberry@purdue.edu, or Reba Wicker, rwicker@purdue.edu.

Navigating Difference

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Navigating Difference, an intensive cultural competency training, will be presented by Purdue Extension Feb. 28-March 2 at the Wyndham Hotel Westfield, 18592 Carousel Lane, Westfield.

This is a professional development workshop for those who work across diversity in communities and want to improve their intercultural effectiveness.

Workshop hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Feb. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 1, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 2.

The cost of this retreat experience includes lunch for all three days and all materials and instruction for $450. The registration fee does not include lodging. Make your hotel reservations separately with the Wyndham Westfield by visiting https://bit.ly/2023NDFebMar, or calling 317-896-3000. A block or rooms have bee reserved for $105 plus tax and fees per night.

Candle Making Workshop

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ill. — The Candle Making Workshop will be 5:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Lawrence County Extension office, 10722 Cherry Blvd., Lawrenceville.

Participants will learn all about making homemade candles and take one home.

Gateway to Gut Health

DWIGHT, Ill. — Gateway to Gut Health will be 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Prairie Creek Public Library, 501 Carriage House Lane, Dwight.

In this program, you’ll learn about the gut microbiome and its role in health and disease. You’ll explore various digestive diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, and diverticulosis, while focusing on healthy lifestyle habits, such as minimizing stress and including a diet full of prebiotics, probiotics and dietary fiber. You’ll also receive healthy recipes to keep your gut running smoothly.

This event is free to attend, but registration is required.

To register, call Prairie Creek Public Library at 815-584-3061.

Public Speaking Contest

MILAN, Ill. — Rock Island County 4-H Public Speaking Contest will be 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Rock Island County Extension office, 21 2nd Ave. W, Milan.

Categories are divided into ages 8 to 13, and 14 and older.

Native Plants

URBANA, Ill. — Native plants will be the subject of the online Wilderness Wednesday series at 6 p.m. March 1.

Native plants are essential to maintaining biodiversity of both plant and animal species in Illinois. Many of us plant native species not only for their beautiful blooms or attractive foliage, but to better support native insect populations that are absolutely vital to everything from plant pollination to supporting the lower rungs of our diverse and interconnected food web. However, cultivars of native plants may or may not provide the same support as the straight-species.

Join this presentation by Extension Educator Ryan Pankau to learn more about recent research into the ecological value of native plants vs their cultivars, or “nativars.”

Lunch with a Gardener

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — Air Plants will be the subject of Lunch with a Gardener at 11 a.m. March 1 at the Kankakee County Extension office, 1650 Commerce Drive, Bourbonnais.

Cost is $10 and includes all supplies and instructions for you to either make a project in person at the event, or pick it up to complete at home. Register at https://tinyurl.com/56ze3c2r.

Future Lunch with a Gardener programs include Greenhouse Salad Greens on March 8, and Home Hyroponics March 15.

Resurrection Garden

EFFINGHAM, Ill. — University of Illinois master gardeners are hosting make-and-take Resurrection Garden workshops at the Effingham County Extension office, 1209 N. Wenthe Drive, Effingham.

The workshops will be 6 p.m. March 1, and 1 p.m. March 2. Participants will receive everything needed to make this centerpiece for your table. You will plant grass seed and mist it daily to get the grass growing. It will be ready to be your centerpiece by Easter.

COVID-19 Infodemic

URBANA, Ill. — The online program COVID-19 Infodemic: Managing Medical Misinformation will be noon to 1 p.m. March 1.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it an “infodemic” phenomenon: an overabundance of information — some accurate and some not — that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when necessary. Carolina Carvalho, Ph.D. candidate, industrial engineering, University of Illinois, will discuss this phenomenon and ways to prevent, detect, and respond to misinformation.

Small Farm Conference

DANVILLE, Ind. — The Indiana Small Farm Conference will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET March 2-3 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds, 1900 E. Main St., Danville.

The Indiana Small Farm Conference serves as the annual educational and farmer-to-farmer networking event for the Indiana small and diversified farm community. The conference provides numerous educational sessions by farmers and Purdue Extension staff and researchers. It also features demonstrations and great local food.

Full conference registration is $145; single day registration is $75.

For more information and to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/yckc2nmz.

Pruning Apples

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — The program Pruning Apples and More will be from 2 to 3 p.m. March 2 at the Christian County Extension office, 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville.

Are you a gardener interested in learning how to prune fruit trees? Pruning fruit trees is a necessary task to reap the greatest benefit from your trees. Join University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Andrew Holsinger as he presents a variety of pruning techniques for apples and other fruit trees.

The program also will be available online.

Financial Literacy Series

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. — Annie’s Project Farming Financial Literacy Series is designed for women in agriculture. This four-part program will focus on managing farm cash flow. Each week, the program will cover a different aspect of financial records and documents.

The initial topic, Balance Sheet Construction and Analysis, will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 2 at the Jackson County Extension office, 402 Ava Road, Murphysboro.

Upcoming programs will be:

• Cash Flow and Keeping Farm/Ranch Financial Records, 5:30 p.m. March 16, online.

• Income Statements — Measuring Profitability, 5:30 p.m. March 23, online.

• Evaluating and Adjusting Cash Leases, 5:30 p.m. March 30 at the Franklin County Extension office, 1212 Route 14 West, Benton.

This series is free, but registration is required. Visit go.illinois.edu/FarmFinances2023 or call 618-687-1727 to reserve a spot.

Emergency Preparedness

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — The free program Code Red: Emergency Preparedness will be at 6 p.m. ET March 2 at the Putnam County Fairgrounds, 191 US-231, Greencastle.

Want to avoid a “code red” situation for your family or business? Join this program to learn tools to protect important information such as passwords, bank account information, rental agreements, insurance papers, and more.

Junior Pork Day

WEST LAFAYETTE, ind. — Junior Pork Day will be 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET March 4 at at Land O’Lakes Center at Purdue University, 720 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette.

Cost is $5. Registration will take place the morning of the event.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n9xn6j8.

Weekend Gardener

URBANA, Ill. — The online 2023 Virtual Weekend Gardener program will be 9 to 11 a.m. March 4.

Topics will include Everlasting Flowers, Chris Lueking, Extension educator; and Making the Most of Your Soil Amendments, Nathan Johanning, Extension educator.

Gardener’s Palette Conference

QUINCY, Ill. — The 27th annual Gardener’s Palette Gardening Conference will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4 at the Quincy Senior & Family Resource Center, 639 York St., Quincy.

Cost is $40 per person. Registration includes a variety of workshop sessions, box lunch, access to the vendor fair and materials for most of the breakout sessions. Gardener’s Palette is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension and Unit 14 Master Gardeners.

Calendar: Horse & Pony Club Tack Auction