Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program Announces 2015 Conferences to Help Small Farm Owners

By: Tony Nye, Extension Educator, Clinton County

The agricultural landscape of today is very different than it was 20 – 25 years ago. Farms today are getting fewer in number and the ones that are left are growing in acreage. However, the Small Farm Program at Ohio State University Extension continues to see a huge interest in small farm production.

The “Small Farmer” is a term used for individuals who are practicing agriculture on a small amount of acreage, usually with less than 100 acres.  These farmers are many times new to agriculture and are looking to begin a different lifestyle.

Two conferences will be held in March 2015, which will be sponsored by OSU Extension’s Small Farm Program.  These conferences are designed for small farm owners who want to learn more about how to make their farms work better for them or expand their operations, or those new to agriculture who are looking for ways to utilize acreage.  Land owners can attend workshops and presentations on these issues and more during the two conferences: “Opening Doors to Success” and “Living Your Small Farm Dream”.

The two conferences, combined with a trade show, are set up to help participants learn tips, techniques and methods for diversifying their opportunities into successful new enterprises and markets as a way to improve economic growth and development on their farms.

Through the conferences, we try to give participants a smorgasbord of ideas that may interest them and opportunities to learn in-depth about an issue, gain resources, and study how to finance a new venture. Although similar in content, the two conferences are not set up to contain the same sessions nor are they located in the same location.

The “Opening Doors to Success” Conference and Trade Show will be held March 13-14, 2015 at the Wilmington College Campus Boyd Cultural Arts Center, 1870 Quaker Way, Wilmington, Ohio. This conference will kick off Friday afternoon with a few hands-on workshops focusing on pastures and fence, new specialty crop production techniques looking at hoop house management, irrigation and grafting, and finally a workshop on woodlands management.  On Saturday, the conference will feature 25-plus sessions from Ohio State and industry experts as well as a trade show for small farmers that will offer information that can benefit a variety of growers.

The “Living Your Small Farm Dream”, Conference and Trade Show will be held March 28, 2015 at the Shisler Conference Center on the Ohio State University Campus in Wooster, Ohio. Participants at this conference will be able to choose from more than 25 sessions from Ohio State and industry experts as well as question producer speakers on issues related to small farms.

OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The overall goal of these events and the mission of the OSU Small Farms Program is to provide a greater understanding of production practices, economics of land-use choices, assessment of personal and natural resources, marketing alternatives, and the identification of sources of assistance.

You are encouraged to attend both conferences as they will not cover all the same speakers or topics.  We try to keep the two conferences different so we can reach more producers and help them with their operation needs.

Some of the topics (Subject to Change) we plan to cover at the two conferences are:

  • Maple syrup
  • Goat production
  • Poultry production
  • Forages and hay
  • Livestock production
  • Direct marketing
  • Organics
  • Starting a business
  • Aquaculture
  • Legal issues for small farms
  • Soil basics
  • Brambles
  • High tunnels
  • Beekeeping
  • Vegetable and fruit production
  • Financing/loans
  • Tax issues

For more information about these two conferences, please visit http://agnr.osu.edu/small-farm-programs or contact Tony Nye at (937) 382-0901 or nye.1@osu.edu.

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