THE SMALL FARM COLLEGE WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL FALL 2021 WHEN WE CAN MEET IN PERSON.
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 aren’t sure what may be required for equipment, labor, and/or management? Are you looking for someplace to get some basic farm information?
If you or someone you know answered yes to any of the above questions – then the Ohio State University Extension New and Small Farm College program may be for you!
OSUE’s New and Small Farm College is a five-session short course that will be held one night a week beginning in January. The 2021 Ohio New and Small Farm College program will be held in four locations across the state including right here in Putnam County! These sessions will be held at the OSU Putnam County Extension Office, 1206 East Second Street in Ottawa. Classes will be held on Thursdays beginning January 21 and concluding February 18, 2021.
Face-to-face sessions will address the following topics:
- Getting started with a small farm (goal setting, family matters, business planning, budgeting, resources)
- Appropriate land use -Walking the Farm;
- Small farm legal checkup and farm insurance;
- Financial and business management strategies for decision makers of small farms;
- Where to get help – an overview of County resources; OSU Extension, government agencies and programs, (i.e. CAUV, EQIP, grants, etc).
In addition to the five traditional face-to-face sessions, the 2021 Small Farm College includes on-demand webinars, podcasts and other resources and content that participants can access virtually. These topics will include: Horticulture and Livestock Production Enterprises; Natural Resources and Wildlife; Honeybees; New Crops such as Hops, Malting Barley, and Hemp; Marketing Alternatives, and more.
All sessions begin each evening at 6:00 PM with a light dinner followed by the nightly presentations from 6:30 PM to 9:00PM. COVID-19 precautions will be in place at all locations. Due to spacing and social distancing requirements, class size at each location will be limited.
The cost of the course is $100 per person, $75 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. You may also find more information at the following website: https://agnr.osu.edu/small-farm-programs/new-and-small-farm-college. For more details about the course contact Tony Nye, Small Farm Program Coordinator (937)382-0901 or email at nye.1@osu.edu.
Registration forms can be found on our website (putnam.osu.edu), by calling the Putnam County Extension office at 419-523-6294, by email at Scheckelhoff.11@osu.edu or stop in at 1206 East Second Street in Ottawa. You can also find us on Facebook by searching for OSU Extension Putnam County.