Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners June Meeting & Potluck Dinner - Diagnosing Tomato Problems by Alexis Barnes

Description

Join us on June 17, 2025 at 6:45 p.m. at the Batavia Public Library at 10 S. Batavia Ave. for a program about diagnosing tomato problems and the club potluck dinner. This will be the last meeting before summer.
 
The club will provide the chicken main dish for all.  Please bring your favorite appetizer, side dish, dessert, or beverage to share with fellow club members.
 
Our speaker Alexis Barnes is a Community Educator from the University of Illinois Extension Service and will be speaking about diagnosing tomato growing issues.
 
Alexis is the first Local Food Systems and Small Farms educator serving the tri-county area and is a native of Bartlett, IL.  Barnes, who recently completed a master’s degree in plant science at South Dakota State University, plans to start this new role with a focus on specialty crops, farmer training, tillage reduction, cover crop and living mulch integration, and food accessibility. She also plans to integrate new programs as community needs arise. The Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms team provides education, resources, and programming to help residents safely produce, grow, and consume locally produced agricultural products. A grant from the USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production program helped make the new position possible.
 
Barnes is based in the Kane County Extension office and joins a tri-county team of 20-plus staff members providing programs in food production, horticulture, natural resources, nutrition, and youth development.  Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities. Illinois Extension is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
 
The Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners is open to all persons interested in gardening. For more information, see our website at bataviaplaindirtgardeners.org, or contact us at bataviaplaindirtgardeners@gmail.com