Calendar: Ag innovation, insights at Pinney Purdue Field Day

WANATAH, Ind. — Pinney Purdue Field Day will be 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT Aug. 20 at the Pinney Purdue Agricultural Center, 11402 S. County Line Road, Wanatah.

The event will include a full day of ag innovation, expert insights, hands-on sessions, and a pork chop lunch.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/mjxkky2n.

The field day will be followed by Ag After Hours: Twilight Talks at Pinney Purdue from 5:30 to 7 p.m. There will be expert insights on insect management and soil health, plus PARP credits.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/5n6j97yd.

Pickle Magic

MAROA, Ill. — Pickle Magic will be 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the at Maroa Public Library, 305 Garfield St., Maroa.

Learn how to prepare home-preserved pickles at this make-and-take workshop presented by Extension nutrition and wellness staff.

Learn to Can Salsa

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The program Learn to Can Salsa will be 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 21 at the Illinois Nutrition Education Program office, 201 W. Kenyon Road, Suite 3, Champaign.

Learn valuable skills to preserve your harvest and enjoy delicious homemade canned goods year-round. You’ll get to practice your skills by making your own jar of salsa.

Cost is $15. Register at https://tinyurl.com/4ymnjk4m.

Saving Box Turtles

URBANA, Ill. — The online program Saving the World, One Box Turtle at a Time will be 1 to 2 p.m. Aug. 21.

Box turtles are long-lived creatures that are omnivorous and use both land and water ecosystems. These characteristics make them uniquely sensitive to the health of their environments and good indicators of overall ecosystem health.

In the last 18 years, the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at University of Illinois has assessed the health of more than 4,000 turtles to better understand the threats to this species and create strategies to save them. Explore what they’ve learned through their research and how you can help.

Presenter will be Matt Allender, clinical associate professor and director of Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, University of Illinois.

Chicken Butchering

ANNA, Ill. — The two-day Chicken Butchering Workshop will be 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 22 and 2 to 6 p.m. Aug. 23 at The Flock Farm, 60 McDuffee Lane, Anna.

As part of the ongoing Homesteading Series, this workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and practical experience to process poultry safely and effectively at home. The Flock Farm owner Brent Glays will share his expertise on the topic.

Each participant will have the opportunity to butcher two chickens and take home the meat. The class is priced at $95, which includes one catered meal on the first day.

Meals on the Go

GRANVILLE, Ill. — Quick and Healthy Meals on the Go will be 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 22 at the Putnam County Library, 212 S. Mccoy St., Granville.

Susan Glassman, Extension nutrition and wellness educator, will discuss planning and preparing quick, healthy meals using seasonal and local ingredients. Enjoy the excitement of cooking, receive take-home recipes, and learn how to make refrigerator pickles to savor this summer.

Gardening for Moths

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Gardening for Moths will be 6 to 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at Carbondale Township Hall, 217 E. Main St., Carbondale.

Gardening for Moths is a program designed to create sustainable and moth-friendly garden spaces that support the survival and thriving of moth populations. The program emphasizes the importance of moths as pollinators and beautiful nocturnal creatures often overlooked in traditional gardening practices. Join Horticulture Educator Kim Rohling to see what actions you can take in your own backyard.

Pollinators in the Park

CLINTON, Ill. — Pollinators in the Park with DeWitt and Piatt County master gardeners will be 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 23 at Weldon Springs State Park, 4734 Weldon Springs Road, Clinton.

Learn about common butterflies in Illinois, their anatomy and life cycle, along with habitat elements of a butterfly garden.

Birding Walk

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Birding Walk with Master Naturalist Lily Glaeser will be 8:30 to 10 a.m. Aug. 24 at Green Earth Chautauqua Bottoms Nature Preserve, 2100 W. Chautauqua Road, Carbondale.

Learn to identify birds in this program for all ages and experience levels. Binoculars will be available for use. Register at https://tinyurl.com/2cr6t72a.

From Farm to Sale

MACOMB, Ill. — From Farm to Sale: Local Food Networking Event will be 1 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Spoon River College Macomb Community Outreach Center, 2500 E. Jackson St., Macomb.

The Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs is hosting the event to connect farmers with aggregators, retailers and institutions. The goal is to increase communication and future sales across the local food supply chain. This no-cost event will include two panel discussions and time for networking.

The event is targeted for small farmers, ranchers, and other local food producers, but all in the local food space are welcome to attend.

Butter Making Workshop

NASHVILLE, Ill. — The Back to Basics program Butter Making and Types of Flour will be 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Washington County Extension Conference Center, 9623 Wall St., Nashville.

Illinois Extension Educator Kris Juelfs will go over many different types of flour and how to make your own butter.

Cost is $5. Register at https://tinyurl.com/yc3atb89.

Delightful Desserts

DANVILLE, Ill. — Delightful Desserts will be 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 30 at the Danville Public Library, 319 N. Vermilion St., Danville.

Learn how to create healthy desserts for you and your family. Participants will get to make their own healthy dessert.

Invasive Species Conference

HAMMOND, Ind. — The 2025 Indiana Invasive Species Conference will be 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. CT Sept. 4, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 5 at the South Shore Indiana Welcome Center, 7770 Corinne Drive, Hammond.

Learn how experts, professionals and volunteers manage invasive species in Indiana, with a special focus on the Great Lakes region. Talks cover a wide variety of topics on invasive species management techniques in both aquatic and terrestrial environments.

Keynote speaker Henry Quesada, a professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University, will discuss “Ecological, Social, and Economic Consequences of Invasive Species on Forests and Forest Products.”

Other speakers will include Lenny Farlee an Extension forester with the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center; Aubree Szczepanski and Eric Fischer with the Indiana DNR and the aquatic invasive species program; horticulturist Dolly Foster; Natalie Marinova, executive director of Eco Logic; Katie O’Reilly, an aquatic invasive species specialist for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Illinois Natural History Survey; Cameron Wingren a data analyst and unmanned aerial systems data collection specialist for the Institute for Digital Forestry, Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources; and Phil Marshall, forest health specialist for the Division of Forestry.

Sept. 5 will feature a full day of field events, including Pine Station Nature Preserve in Gary, Tolleston Ridges Nature Preserve in Hammond, Oak Ridge Prairie in Griffith, Miller Woods in Gary, Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve in Hobart, Clark and Pine Nature Preserve in Gary, and Gibson Woods Nature Preserve in Hammond.

For more information and to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/5edm9m4z.