Are you a small farm landowner wondering what to do with your acreage? Are you interested in exploring options for land uses but not sure where to turn or how to begin? Have you considered adding an agricultural or horticultural enterprise but you just aren’t sure of what is required, from an equipment, labor, and/or management perspective?
Are you looking for someplace to get some basic farm information? If you or someone you know answered yes to any of these questions, then the Ohio State University New and Small Farm College program may be just what you are looking for.
The Ohio State University New and Small Farm College is an eight-session short course that will be held one night a week.
The 2019 Ohio New and Small Farm College program will be held in three locations across the state including:
– Miami Valley CTC, West Building, Room 179, 6800 Hoke Road, Englewood. Classes will be held on Tuesdays beginning Jan. 8 and concluding on Feb. 26, 2019. Inclement weather makeup date will be March 5. Contact the Montgomery County Extension Office at 937-224-9654.
– Vinton County area at the Community Building, 31935 State Route 93, McArthur. Classes will be held on Tuesdays beginning Jan. 15 and concluding March 5, 2019. Inclement weather makeup will be March 12. For more information, contact Vinton County Extension at 740-596-5212.
– Adams County area at the North Adams High School, 96 Green Devil Drive, Seaman. Classes will be held on Wednesdays beginning Jan. 16 and concluding March 6, 2019. Inclement weather makeup date will be March 13. For more information, contact Adams County Extension at 937-544-2339.
All colleges will start each evening at 6 p.m. with a light dinner with the nightly presentations beginning at 6:30 p.m. and concluding at 9 p.m.
Topics that will be covered in the Small Farm College course include: Getting Started (goal setting, resource inventory, business planning), Appropriate Land Use -Walking The Farm, Where to Get Assistance, (identifying various agencies, organizations, and groups), Natural Resource Management including soils, ponds, woodlands and wildlife, Legal Issues, Insurance, Business Structure, Finances & Record Keeping, and Marketing Alternatives, Crop and Horticultural Production Options, Animal Production Options,
The cost of the course is $150 per person, $100 for an additional family member. Each participating family will receive a small farm college notebook full of the information presented in each class session plus additional materials. Registrations are now being accepted.
For more details about the course and/or a registration form, contact Tony Nye, Small Farm Program Coordinator 937-382-0901 or email at [email protected].
