Purdue Extension East Central Region

06/04/2026

🧀🎉 Happy National Cheese Day – June 4! 🎉🧀

Cheesemaking has been around for nearly 4,000 years, and today there are over 2,000 varieties of cheese worldwide! From mozzarella to cheddar, cheese has a long history—from Roman kitchens called careale to our favorite pizzas and charcuterie boards. 🌾🐄

Cheese Facts You’ll Love:
• It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese 🥛➡️🧀
• Holes in Swiss cheese? That’s CO₂ created by bacteria forming little air pockets!
• Cheese curds squeak because elastic proteins rub against your teeth 😄
• Most cheese is made with just milk, salt, and a coagulant (like rennet, vinegar, or bacteria)
• Hard cheeses like parmesan are low in lactose, so many people who are lactose intolerant can enjoy them 🐐🐄

Celebrate National Cheese Day:
🧀 Try a new cheese you’ve never tasted
🍕 Add extra mozzarella to your pizza or cheddar to your sandwich
📸 Share a photo of your cheesy creation and tag a friend

Let’s give a big cheesy thank you to farmers and everyone who helps bring this delicious dairy from pasture to plate! 🌱💛

06/04/2026

🎣 Looking for a weekend activity?

Join Summit Lake State Park on Saturday, June 6 for their FREE annual Youth Fishing Derby from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM starting at the Boat Rental.

Bring your own fishing equipment and get ready for a fun morning outdoors! This is a great opportunity for youth to enjoy fishing, spend time outside, and make summer memories.

Learn more here: https://on.in.gov/summitlakesp

Come on out and join us for our annual Youth Fishing Derby from 9:00 am until noon at the Boat Rental. Bring your own equipment and get ready for some fun (bait will be provided). Prizes will be awarded for Biggest Fish, Smallest Fish, and Most Caught in both age groups (4-9 year olds & 10-16 year o...

06/04/2026

🍓 It's strawberry season in Indiana!

Purdue Extension is helping strawberry producers strengthen their operations through research-based support, field-based learning, and practical resources tailored to Indiana growers.

From production challenges to new opportunities, Extension connects farmers with the tools and expertise they need to grow strong, resilient businesses.

Read the full story and learn how Purdue Extension is supporting Indiana’s strawberry industry: http://bit.ly/43bEjDg

With fresh, flavorful strawberries in high demand across Indiana so are Purdue Extension specialists. Through research and hands-on guidance, Extension specialists, like Wenjing Guan, a horticulture and landscape architecture clinical engagement associate professor, help strawberry farmers statewide...

06/04/2026

Mark your calendars! 📆

We’re pleased to announce that Purdue Extension will host the Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference in January 2027. Please mark your calendars for January 26–28 in Danville, Indiana. Our planning committee has already begun organizing the conference, and we would greatly appreciate your input. We welcome your suggestions for speakers, topics, panels, and more. Our goal is to ensure this conference meets the needs of Indiana’s growers, so please take a moment to complete the survey and share what would be most helpful to you. Do you enjoy speaking? Have you conducted on-farm research or implemented an innovative practice that has made a positive impact? If so, we encourage you to nominate yourself as a speaker. The Survey will remain open through the end of June. https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5uT2Y1RWounYBGm

06/03/2026

🐝 Last chance to join our FREE pollinator workshop series! 🐝

You’ve heard about bees as pollinators—but what makes them so important to our ecosystems and communities? Join us for the final session in this series as we take a closer look at bees and how we can support pollinators close to home.

Final Session: June 9 — Bees
Attend in-person or virtually.

Register by calling Purdue Extension Jay County at 260-726-4707 or emailing [email protected].

05/28/2026

Planning for the future of your farm doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The Purdue Extension Succession Planning Team helps families work through communication, management transfer and preparing the next generation to carry the farm forward. Contact the team to learn more: https://bit.ly/ContactPurdueSuccession

05/26/2026

Want locally grown vegetables this summer and fall? Join Horticulture and Landscape Architecture's Student Farm CSA and get 22 weeks of fresh seasonal veggies from late June through November. Half-shares available. Learn more and sign up: purdue.ag/season-pass

05/26/2026

⚡ Join the conversation on Indiana’s renewable energy future!

Community leaders, public officials, and interested residents are invited to attend the Renewable Energy Planning Regional Workshop & Bus Tour on June 3 in Spiceland. Learn more about Indiana’s energy landscape, planning considerations, and utility-scale renewable energy development through expert presentations, discussion, and an optional bus tour.

🗓 June 3, 2026
📍 Hoover Hall – Spiceland, IN
🕤 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST

Registration is required by May 27. Space is limited!

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

Join us for a fun and educational workshop where you’ll design your very own hummingbird-friendly planter!
HUMMINGBIRD PLANTER WORKSHOP
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Madison County 4-H Fairgrounds, 512 E. 4th St., Alexandria, IN 46001

$45 Cost Includes:
12" Pot, Flowers & Soil