Online Farming Courses Starting Nov 6
Join one of our upcoming online farming courses: Veggie Farming, Berry Production, Introduction to Maple Syrup, and more!
The Cornell Small Farms Program offers over twenty courses to help farmers improve their technical and business skills. Students connect with other farmers, work on farm plans, and gain practical tips without leaving their home. Course content can be accessed anywhere with a high-speed internet connection.
Most courses are six weeks long. Each week features an evening webinar and follow-up readings, videos, and activities. Students and their instructors connect through online forums and live chat. If you aren’t able to attend the webinars in real-time, they are always recorded for later viewing.
Classes starting the Week of November 6 include:
BF 120: Veggie Farming 1 – From Planning to Planting
This course helps new and aspiring vegetable producers answer basic questions about site selection, crop rotation, seeding and transplanting, and financial aspects of veggie production. Topics including variety selection, pre-plant preparation, and cultivation will be covered.
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
BF130: Poultry Production (BF 130)
Many new farmers get started with poultry, because it’s a relatively low-investment enterprise with a fairly quick turnaround time from investment to revenue. The margins can be slim though, and farmers need to develop the necessary skillset in order to produce a product that is both safe and profitable. This course will help you get started with all the basic information to build a successful poultry enterprise.
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
BF 122: Berry Production
If you’re exploring the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to your farm, this course will help you consider all the aspects of this decision, from varieties and site selection all the way through profit potential and marketing.
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
BF 152: Introduction to Maple Syrup Production
Maple syrup production is rapidly growing around the Northeast and offers a sound financial opportunity to utilize woodlots. This course explores the range possibilities of maple sugaring on your land – be it for supplemental income or for your livelihood. Also discussed are “alternative” trees for production, including Birch and Black Walnut.
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
Developing and Using an Effective Marketing Plan (BF 205)
Most people are drawn to the production side of small-scale agriculture and then are “stuck” with the marketing. This course introduces effective techniques to reduce the amount of time and money that marketing activities draw from the farm while guiding management towards income and lifestyle goals.
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
Course tuition entitles two people from a farm to attend. Discounts for early sign up and multiple course sign ups are available.
Check out the listings at https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/
Questions?
Contact Erica Frenay, ejf5@cornell.edu or Steve Gabriel, sfg53@cornell.edu
or call 607 – 255 – 2142
