Hoosier Ag Today presents Your Community

'Your Community' Podcast Ep. 9: How Purdue Extension Is Empowering Indiana’s Citizen Planners

On the latest "Your Community" Podcast: Purdue Extension educator Daniel Walker details how the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the American Citizen Planner Indiana program empower local communities through environmental research and land-use education. Walker highlights recent successes, such as a collaborative project with the Indiana Department of Health to map and regulate aging septic systems to protect Great Lakes water quality. Walker also shares more about the American Citizen Planner course, a comprehensive three-month program designed to provide local board members and interested residents with the foundational tools needed for effective community planning. Through these initiatives, Purdue Extension fosters a network of informed "citizen planners" who work alongside professionals to build safer, more vibrant, and sustainable communities across the state.

Your Community Podcast Ep. 8: How the 'Grass to Garden' Program Brings Fresh Food to Communities

Turn your neighborhood into a thriving source of fresh food and connection! On this episode of the "Your Community" Podcast, Hoosier Ag Today's C.J. Miller talks with Karen Mitchell and Gina Anderson about how Purdue Extension’s "Grass to Garden" program is helping communities grow more than just plants. From boosting access to nutritious foods to empowering volunteers, nonprofits, and local leaders, discover how this hands-on initiative can transform empty spaces into vibrant community gardens—and strengthen the health and future of your hometown. If you want to support Purdue Extension, please consider advertising on this podcast. Contact Molly Nichols: Molly@HoosierAgToday.com.

Your Community Podcast Ep. 7: Spotlighting Purdue Extension's Community Leadership Program

On the latest episode of the "Your Community" Podcast: We shine the spotlight on Purdue Extension's Community Leadership Program. It's an intensive county-based program for individuals who want to improve their local communities by getting more involved in local nonprofit boards, government committees, and other volunteer efforts. Cindy Barber, Community Development Educator with Purdue Extension-Daviess County, discusses the program and how it helps develop people into leaders in their community. If you'd like to advertise on this podcast—or one of our many "YOUR Purdue Extension" Podcasts—and reach a large audience of Indiana farmers and ag professionals, e-mail Molly Nichols: Molly@HoosierAgToday.com.

Your Community Podcast Ep. 6: Introducing Purdue Extension's New Community Vitality Program

On the latest episode of the 'Your Community' Podcast: You’ll hear about Purdue Extension’s brand-new Community Vitality Program, which seeks to partner with Indiana’s small towns and rural communities to plan, build, and implement new projects tailored to grow the local economy, support well-being, and develop leadership opportunities. Hoosier Ag Today’s C.J. Miller chats with Jeff Walker and Michael Wilcox with Purdue Extension Community Development about this exciting new pilot program.

Your Community Podcast Ep. 5: Helping Communities Plan for a More Resilient and Sustainable Future

On the latest episode of the “Your Community” Podcast: Dr. Kara Salazar, Assistant Program Leader for Community Development with Purdue Extension, talks about the efforts to help Indiana’s communities plan for a more resilient and sustainable future. She discusses the community-based programs available that focus on green infrastructure, hazard mitigation, parks and public spaces, land use planning, and renewable energy development.