CAFF 2024 Beginning Farmer classes start Jan. 18
Jan. 11, 2024
By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
Fast facts
- Center for Arkansas Farms and Food starts Beginning Farmer classes online Jan. 18
- Classes can be attended virtually via Zoom, or watched from a recording
- Three, two-day Small Farm Short Courses will be offered in-person
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will begin its 2024 session of Beginning Farmer classes on Jan. 18 online via Zoom while a series of two-day Small Farm Short Courses will be held in person.
The online Beginning Farmer classes are held virtually 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of February and focus on building a successful, sustainable market farm. Farmers share their experiences and knowledge as part of the classes. The online classes are $10 each and incorporate learning activities with other local service providers.
“You can expect new knowledge and insights even if you’ve taken the course before,” said Heather Friedrich, Center for Arkansas Farms and Food program manager.
Recordings of the online classes will remain available to registrants through Oct. 31. There will be 13 classes in the 2024 session covering a wide variety of topics that include growing produce, marketing, transitioning to organic, agritourism, and consumer supported agriculture, also known as CSA.
To pay the $10 access fee per course, visit the registration page at www.farmandfoodsystems.uada.edu/classes/. An email will be sent to registrants the day before each class and a follow up email will provide links to resources and a recording of the class
Friedrich noted the benefit of attending the classes virtually, rather than watching the recordings, is having the opportunity to ask questions during the class.
Small Farm Short Courses
New in 2024, CAFF is offering three intensive two-day in-person workshops called Small Farm Short Courses. The two-day, in-person workshops will be offered with seasonally relevant content at the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, 1005 Meade, in Fayetteville.
The first workshop is Feb. 2-3 and addresses transplant production, markets, soil health, setting up systems for success, cultivating community in your food system and a spotlight on CSAs. The second workshop will be May 3-4 with topics including field preparation and building beds, equipment demonstrations, record keeping and messaging, and marketing. The third and final workshop will be held Oct. 18-19 and will focus on developing skills for crop planning, equipment maintenance, understanding costs of production, cover cropping and building farm management skills.
The courses will offer classroom and field instruction 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Presenters will include CAFF staff, local farmers and representatives from local organizations that work with farmers and small businesses. Lunch, refreshments and snacks will be provided. Registration fees are $200 for each two-day workshop. Scholarships are available for those with limited resources, and historically underserved people.
For more information on the online classes and short courses, please email Friedrich at heatherf@uark.edu.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact: John Lovett
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
(479) 763-5929
jlovett@uada.edu