OGLE COUNTY — A variety of online learning opportunities are available from the University of Illinois Extension.
Home fruit and vegetable gardening
Feb. 23, 6 p.m.: Growing Great Vegetables: Warm Season Vegetables — This session will cover warm-season crops which grow during the hottest part of the year. Learn how to make vegetables, such as peppers, tomatoes, and squash flourish while keeping pests at bay. Contact: Ken Johnson (kjohnso@illinois.edu) 
March 2, 6 p.m.: Growing Great Vegetables: Diseases and Disorders — This session will cover the challenges of vegetable plant diseases and disorders of vegetable plants. Learn about diseases and wildlife pests and how to prevent and handle them. Contact Ken Johnson (kjohnso@illinois.edu)
Local food, small farm, and specialty operations
Feb. 19, noon: Pumpkin Varieties: Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference — Hear about current research on pumpkin variety performance in Illinois and successful weed management programs for pumpkins. Contact: Grant McCarty (gmccarty@illinois.edu)

Feb. 25, noon: Regenerative Grazing: Could It Work on Your Farm?: Small Farms Winter Webinars —Regenerative grazing is a livestock and land management system that helps improve soil health and reduces farm production costs. Learn the basics and see how it is being done in Illinois. The 2021 Small Farm Webinar Series gives small producers access to practical tools and knowledge to improve their profitability and sustainability by learning about leading practices on emerging topics in production, management, and marketing. Contact: Zach Grant (zgrant2@illinois.edu)
Feb. 25, 1 p.m.: Curcurbit Insect Pests Control Techniques: Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference — Learn about the major cucurbit insect pests and control options, including spray options, and discuss insect exclusion techniques for conventional and organic operations. There will be time for for questions and discussion throughout. Contact: Grant McCarty and Sarah Farley (gmccarty@illinois.edu, sfarley@illinois.edu)
Feb. 25, 1 p.m.: Research Studies on Cucurbit and Tomato Diseases: Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference — Dr. Mohammad Babadoost reviews outcomes of the recent research studies on cucurbit and tomato diseases. Contact: Grant McCarty and Sarah Farley (gmccarty@illinois.edu, sfarley@illinois.edu)
Feb. 26, noon: High Tunnel Production Updates: Stateline Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference — Hear about current research on pumpkin variety performance in Illinois and successful weed management programs for pumpkins. Contact: Nathan Johanning (njohann@illinois.edu)
Family, food and finances
Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m.: Let’s Talk Money: Debt Repayment Strategies — Repaying debt is challenging in the best of situations, and today’s economic situation makes it more difficult. Learn tried and true strategies for prioritizing debt repayment and paying it down effectively. Explore options for student loan repayment, too. Contact: Kathy Sweedler (sweedler@illinois.edu)
Feb. 24, noon: Get Savvy: Save Money on Food — At the end of a busy day when you’re hungry and tired, do you go home knowing you’re all set to prepare a tasty, healthy dinner? Are you happy with how much money you spend on food? Would you like to learn some tricks for eating well for less money? Join us to get a grip on your food spending to have more cash to stash. Contacts: Kathy Sweedler, Camaya Wallace-Bechard, Andrea Pellegrini (sweedler@illinois.edu, cawb17@illinois.edu)
Feb. 25, 11 a.m.: Health at Home: Facts on Fats — Fats provide body fuel, help absorb some nutrients, and add flavors to foods. Explore types of fats and their roles in heart health, and learn how to adapt recipes to be lower in fat or use more heart-healthy fats. Stay afterward for Q&A with Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educators following each free session. Contact: Lisa Peterson (lap5981@illinois.edu)
Feb. 25, 3:30 p.m.: Happy Healthy Providers: Mindfulness in the Classroom — Mindfulness can help reduce your stress and improve job satisfaction and focus. Develop your own mindful practice by learning how to maintain a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment with openness and curiosity. Contact: Michelle Fombelle (mfombell@illinois.edu)
March 2, 6:30 p.m.: Let’s Talk Money: Credit Scores Revealed — Why is credit such a mystery? What’s the difference between a credit score, credit report, and credit history? Learn this and more. Contact: Kathy Sweedler (sweedler@illinois.edu)