Beginning Farmer Field Day held July 22 in west Michigan
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EmailIf you are new to farming or considering starting a farm, this field day is a great opportunity to learn and network.
The Beginning Farmer Field Day will be held Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at the West Central Michigan Research and Extension Center, 5185 N. Oceana Dr, Hart, MI 49420. This event is hosted by the Oceana Conservation District, Oceana County Farm Bureau and Michigan State University Extension. We will be bringing a jam-packed day full of information for new or beginning farmers, small farmers, homesteaders or those wanting to add new crops to their farm.
Experts from across west Michigan will present on important topics like irrigation, pest and disease scouting, food safety, community food systems and farm business. There will also be short, in-depth sessions on producing vegetables, fruit, Christmas trees and chestnuts. These sessions are divided into stations, and attendees can pick two sessions to attend.
Presenters will provide hands-on experiences with demonstrations inside and in the field. We will also discuss important topics such as pollinator habitat, soil health and protecting soil, water, wildlife and forests. Attendees will also hear from our local agricultural agencies and organizations who serve our community, such as the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, Oceana Conservation District, Michigan State University Extension, West Central Michigan Research and Extension Center, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Oceana County Farm Bureau.
The Beginning Farmer Field Day will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $20 per person which includes a catered lunch, hat and handouts.
Pre-register for the Beginning Farmer Field Day
Agenda
- 8:30 a.m. Registration and snacks
- 8:50 a.m. Head to the field for presentations
- 9:00 a.m. Introduction – Emily Lavely, MSU Extension Tree Fruit Educator
- 9:10 a.m. Protecting Soil, Water, Wildlife and Forests, MAEAP Intro - Lynda Herremans, Oceana Conservation District Conservation District, Dan Busby, MDARD MAEAP Verifier
- 9:25 a.m. Beneficials and Disease Scouting 101 – Ben Werling, PhD, MSU Extension Vegetable Educator, and Lavely
- 10:00 a.m. Recruiting Pollinators – Laura Ackerman, Oceana Conservation District Manager
- 10:10 a.m. Soil Station: Exploring Soil Health and the Rainfall Simulator – Cheyenne Sloan, MSU Extension Blueberry Educator, Alex Svoboda, MDARD Regenerative Agriculture Field Coordinator, and Herremans
- 11:00 a.m. From Blossom to Basket: Essential Produce Safety Guidelines – Allissa Conley, Produce Safety Technician
- 11:30 a.m. Walk back to parking lot to look at equipment and front pollinator planting, then head in to conference room for lunch
- 12:00 -1:00 p.m. Lunch and Ice Cream Bar, catered by Joanne Clark
- 12:30 p.m. The Ins and Outs of Pesticide Certification – Lavely
- 12:45 p.m. Developing a Farm Business Plan – Florencia Colella, MSU Extension Farm Business Management Educator
- 1:15 p.m. Plugging Into Your Community Food System – Mariel Borman, MSU Extension Community Food Systems Educator
- 1:45 p.m. Getting Started With Irrigation – Brenden Kelley, MSU Extension Agriculture Water Use Efficiency and Irrigation Educator
- 2:15 p.m. We're Here to Help Session – Lightning Round Intros – (5 minutes near tables) USDA-NRCS, USDA- FSA, OCD, MSU Extension, MDARD, Smart Gardening, WCMREC, Farm Bureau
- 3:00-4:00 p.m. Rotating Specialty Crop Stations – Pick Two – 30-minute stations (site preparation, what and how to plant, management and more)
- Vegetable Station – Werling and Salta Mambetova, MSU Extension Vegetable Educator
- Fruit Station – Lavely and Sloan
- Christmas Tree Station – Bill Lindberg, MSU Extension Christmas Tree Educator
- Chestnut Station – Corey Allen, Benona Chestnuts
