Even in the dead of winter, you can learn to raise strawberries, microgreens, and cut flowers. Your fields and gardens may be snowed over, but it is the perfect time to develop your skills in small farming and local food production. University of Illinois Extension will once again be hosting the Small Farms Winter Webinar Series – featuring practical lunch-hour presentations on small farm enterprises and strategies you can use. Tune in right from your desk every Thursday at noon January 19th through March 30th.
“Since farm life is seldom convenient during the colder months, it’s nice to have these down-to-earth learning opportunities available right at your fingertips – no gloves or long johns required,” said Andy Larson, Extension Educator in Local Food Systems and Small Farms, who will be providing a lesson on growing hobby farms into businesses. “Winter is great for planning your next growing season, so let’s talk about ways you can improve or diversify your small farm.”
In addition to the topics mentioned already, the Small Farms Winter Webinar Series will include presentations on buying quality hay, rejuvenating old fruit trees, mite problems in honeybees, planning windbreaks, mulching vegetables, soil management in high tunnels, and new food safety rules. (See next page for the full webinar schedule.) Each webinar will be presented by an Extension Educator, timed to fit within your lunch hour, and recorded for future viewing if you have to miss the live session.
It’s easy (and FREE!) to register for the Small Farms Winter Webinars. Sign up for as many as you want at https://go.aces.illinois.edu/winterwebinars2017. We’ll send you a webinar reminder, log-on instructions, and how to access the archived recording. If you do not have broadband internet capable of streaming video, call your local Extension office to see if they offer live viewing.
“Come in out of the cold and spend an hour thinking and learning about what you want to do on your farm when things warm up,” adds Larson. “There’s nothing like a few great ideas to get the blood flowing again.”
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact your local Extension office.
Jan. 19 – ABCs of Strawberry Plasticulture Production, Bronwyn Aly, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Jan. 26 – Buying Hay: Quality vs. Cost, Jamie Washburn, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Feb. 2 – Slow Flowers: Small-Scale Cut Flower Production, Candice Hart, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator
Feb. 9 – Out with the Old: Pruning Old and Neglected Fruit Trees, Grant McCarty, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Feb. 16 – Small Commercial Microgreen Production, Zack Grant, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Feb. 23 – Food Safety Needs for Midwest Produce Growers, Dr. Angela Shaw, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Food Safety Specialist
Mar. 2 – Growing Your Hobby Farm into a Business, Andy Larson, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Mar. 9 – Do Your Bees Have PMS (Parasitic Mite Syndrome), Doug Gucker, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Mar. 16 – Maximizing Windbreaks on Your Farm, David Shiley, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Mar. 23 – Benefits of Mulching Vegetables, James Theuri, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
Mar. 30 – Soil Management for High Tunnels, Nathan Johanning, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator
