Farmer Field School helps diversified vegetable farmers reach new potential

Farmer Field School provides education to make farming a more prosperous, secure, and sustainable career choice.

A flyer for the 2019 Farmer Field School workshop.
The flyer from the Farmer Field School

The 2019 Farmer Field School schedule is out, and there are many opportunities for beginning and experienced growers alike! The 2019 workshop schedule includes:

  • Forcing Bulbs, Flowers & Branches for Early Spring Flower Sales - May 16, 2019
  • Weeds & Cultivation for Lean Farm Production - July 1, 2019
  • Lansing Farm Tours - July 22
  • Grand Rapids Farm Tours - August 19
  • Build a Greens Dryer & Bubbler - October 1, 2019
  • Farmer Brain Trust & Food Security Roundtable - December 10, 2019
  • Coming in January 2020: Expo of Small Farm Innovation

The MSU Student Organic Farm (SOF) operates Farmer Field School, which occur on various farms throughout southern Michigan. It is comprised of intensive hands-on workshops tailored to tap into the knowledge in Michigan’s farming community and deliver applicable information for area growers to create more profitable enterprises.

Farmer Field School allows farmers of all different scales and experience access to continuing education to help grow their businesses. Programs are predominantly led by other farmers, with support from MSU faculty and MSU Extension staff. This peer-to-peer community allows farmers to learn from others who have developed methods based on experience. Through these workshops, farmers learn to create and expand more efficient, productive, and profitable enterprises. With a goal of making this education accessible to all populations, workshops are offered on a sliding a scale fee.

Each year, the SOF additionally hosts a number of farm tours for their Organic Farmer Training Program students to expose them to different production practices utilized on successful farms. This year, tours based around Lansing and Grand Rapids are offered as part of Farmer Field School and are open to the general farming community. These tours allow growers to explore different farm models and get an up close and personal look at how folks are operating and continuously improving their farms.

Farmer Field School allows the MSU SOF to expand their educational impact beyond the Organic Farmer Training Program, and provide opportunities for growers of all experiences to add value to their operation! You can see all the information, including pricing, schedules, speakers and logistics at the MSU SOF Website: http://www.msuorganicfarm.org/farmer-field-school.html

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