A four-part workshop series will help vendors and organizers of farmers markets improve their markets and work with customers, inspectors and social media.

The "Farmers Market Boot Camp Series" consists of four workshops with topics on the importance of food safety, effective use of social media, creating a positive customer experience, and handling customer transactions involving Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBTs. The series is sponsored by Purdue Extension and the Indiana Cooperative Development Center.

The workshops will be held Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, 14 and 20 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Office in Indianapolis but participants can watch the presentations through Adobe Connect  at the Alexandrian Public Library in Mt. Vernon and at the Warrick County Extension office.

The Historic Newburgh Farmers Market and the Warrick County Farmer’s Market in Boonville both wrap up their seasons on Saturday.  The Newburgh market is located at the Edgewater Grille Parking lot, corner State and Water Streets,  and the County Market is at the Boonville Warrick County Public Library, 6 West Main St.

From Purdue University

Indiana's pumpkin crop for the most part has fared well despite the drought that has gripped the Midwest, and consumers should have an abundance of healthy pumpkins to choose from this autumn.

Initially, there were fears that the crop would not germinate properly because of the drought and heat, said Dan Egel, a Purdue Extension plant pathologist. But the pumpkins did germinate, and the dryness actually protected them from many of the diseases that afflict them in wetter years.