Are you looking to improve your technical or business skills to benefit your farming operation?
Consider joining one of our more than 40 online courses during live instruction this upcoming online course season. Whether you’re starting to dream of farming, or are looking to take your operation to the next level, there’s a course designed for you.
At the Cornell Small Farms Program, you’ll learn from experienced educators and industry experts in agriculture, farm business, and extension. But our courses offer more than just information — they connect you with a community of farmers. You’ll learn not only from experts, but also from farmers and producers who are navigating many of the same challenges, opportunities, and questions as you are.
Registration is now open for all courses, with live content starting later this month for our first block of courses.
- Mondays at 6:30 p.m. from September 21 – October 26
- So you’re thinking about starting a farm, but feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions? This course was designed to assist new and aspiring farmers in taking the first steps in thinking through farm start-up (whether you already have land access or not).
Building Farm Financial Records to Measure Success
- Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. from September 22 – October 27
- Successful farm businesses rely on accurate, organized financial records to understand profitability, support management decisions, and plan for the future. This course introduces farm financial recordkeeping principles and helps participants develop a system that fits their operation.
- Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. from September 22 – October 13
- Want to learn the secrets of what your land is telling you to increase profitability on the farm or ranch? This course is a 4-week exploration of how you can confirm and/or measure improved land health and conduct various biological monitoring practices.
- Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. from September 23 – October 28
- A successful cattle business is about much more than just buying a few head and putting them in a field. Learn about appropriate breeds, marketing strategies, and many more aspects of starting a beef enterprise.
- Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. from September 23 – October 28
- This course will help you answer basic questions about site selection, crop rotation, seeding and transplanting, as well as the financials of vegetable crop production. Afterward, take Vegetable Production II to continue learning.
Cómo Iniciar su Negocio Agrícola
- Jueves de 6:30 p.m., 24 de Septiembre – 29 de Octubre
- ¿Está pensando en comenzar un negocio agrícola propio, pero se siente confundiso por todas las decisiones que esto involucra? Este curso esta diseñado para ayudar a los agricultores nuevos y aspirantes a dar los primeros pasos para iniciar su propio negocio agrícola (finca, rancho, granja) ya sea que tenga acceso a la tierra o no.
Getting Started with Pastured Pigs
- Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. from September 24 – October 29
- Pigs can function as a profitable stand-alone enterprise or can be integrated into your existing farm structure to provide a variety of products and make use of marginal lands. This course guides beginning farmers through the production and marketing of pigs raised in pasture settings.
Our growing team of online course instructors includes experienced farmers, extension educators, and agriculture service providers. The online courses are offered on a user-friendly platform, which grants registrants permanent access to their course content.
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, our online course platform. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the interface of the course for a dedicated time slot each year to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters and ask questions in real-time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Courses have tiered pricing based on household size and income to make access to the courses more affordable and equitable for everyone. We also offer scholarships for eligible farmers in New York who face an entry barrier to farming, and for military veterans in New York.
You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.
