Online and In-Person Farming Events
Online and In-Person Farming Events from Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (CASA) – Fall 2021
Online and In-Person Farming Events This Fall from Future Harvest CASA:
FIRST THURSDAY SOIL HUB MEETING
Online Event
Thursday, 9/2 7:00 – 9:00 am
Join our Soil Health Hub meetings every first Thursday of the month for networking and farmer-to-farmer connections. Bring your soil health challenges and inspirations. These meetings are for farmers and those who support them. All production systems and all scales are welcome, and the agenda is intentionally unstructured to give you time to check-in with others. Whether you’re asking questions, helping answer them, or just listening in, this is your time to get into the nitty gritty of soil health how-to for your farm. This month: Let’s talk cover cropping (and more)! Free. REGISTER HERE.
TRANSITIONING TO ORGANIC GRAIN: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
In Person Event
Wednesday, 9/8 11:00 am – 1:30 pm
This workshop will cover fertility and weed management in organic grain, perspectives from an organic farmer, soil quality demonstrations and discussion, and an interactive budgeting and business planning. This is a free program, boxed lunch included, with continuing education credits offered (MD pesticide 5 credits, MD nutrient management 1 credit, CCA 4 credits). Event location: Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center, Quantico, MD. To register or request special accommodations call Somerset Extension Office at 410-651-1350 or email Sarah Hirsh at shirsh@umd.edu.
SOIL HEALTH… TO GO! With Racine Family Farm
Online Event
Wednesday, 9/8 12:00 – 12:30 pm
Grab your lunch and get ready to learn! This month, we chat with Bryan Racine of Racine Family Farm. After years of working alongside his father, Bryan has recently taken over management of the family’s grain operation in Rising Sun, MD. And, he’s doing things a little differently by implementing specific practices to help support soil health. Taking a cue from soil health guru, Gabe Brown, Bryan says, “If I don’t fail, I’m not trying hard enough.” He is excited about learning the nuances of no-till, cover cropping, water and nutrient cycling, and seed mixes, and his enthusiasm is compelling. This participant in the Pasa / Million Acre Challenge Soil Health Benchmark Study is not afraid to try new things. Bryan is taking his desire to adapt his family’s farm to exciting new levels. A father of two boys, ages 1 and 2, working full time off-farm, and managing a grass cutting business to boot, Bryan’s insights are worth hearing. Free. REGISTER HERE.
SPECIALTY CUT FLOWERS AT GREENSTONE FIELDS
Hands-On, In-Person Event
Tuesday, 9/14 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
With Barbara Lamborne’s retirement imminent, this might be your last chance to see Greenstone Field’s flower fields in production! This is the specialty cut flower farm’s 16th year in operation. We’ll start this field day with a tour of the farm, where we’ll look at the high tunnels, annuals, and perennials, and talk about the farm’s evolution over the past decade plus. Next, we’ll get some hands-on experience. (Task TBD depending on weather and crop conditions). Please come prepared with gloves, water, sunscreen, and closed-toe shoes. Bring your farming questions, too! $5 for members, $10 for non-members, free for BFTP. REGISTER HERE.
ON-FARM COMPOSTING & COMPOST USE WEBINAR SERIES
Part 2: Ellen Polishuk
Online Event
Tuesday 9/14 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Join the Million Acre Challenge for Session 2 of ILSR’s On-Farm Composting & Compost Use Webinar Series featuring Ellen Polishuk, biological farming consultant, educator, and co-author of Start Your Farm. This session will map out how farmers can add the production of high-quality compost to their operations. Over the course of 25 years, Ellen and her partners transformed Potomac Vegetable Farm’s Loudoun County farm from a 50-acre field of no-till sweet corn grown with herbicide and chemical fertilizer to a thriving, diversified organic vegetable operation. Compost that Ellen produced on-farm was an essential ingredient in this transformation. In this webinar, Ellen will detail the why, where, how, and when of adding composting to a farming business, including costs, equipment needs, tweaking compost recipes to help meet soil fertility needs, and how to apply compost. REGISTER HERE.
DIVERSIFIED VEGETABLE FARMING AT LYDIA’S FIELDS
Hands-On, In-Person Event
Tuesday, 9/14 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
September is a busy time of year on the farm, and that’s no exception at Lydia’s Fields! We’ll start this field day with a tour of the site, including the annual vegetable fields and perennial asparagus patch. We’ll also take a peek in the fig tunnel, where fig trees reliably overwinter. Farmer Robert Schubert will give an overview of the farm, including decisions around field placement, and talk about his general farm management decisions, including pest management, weed control, and soil fertility. After the tour, we’ll all participate in a hands-on task. (Task TBD depending on weather and crop conditions). Please come prepared with gloves, water, sunscreen, and closed-toe shoes. $5 for members, $10 for non-members, free for BFTP. REGISTER HERE.
SMALL SCALE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION AT FAWN CROSSING FARMS
In-Person Event
Saturday 10/2 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Join Future Harvest at Fawn Crossing Farms for an interactive field day on small scale livestock production! Farmers Bill and Sharon are raising a multitude of species, including heritage Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs for breeding, feeders and succulent meat. We will start the day with a farm tour focusing on the infrastructure – much of it designed and constructed by Bill himself – and focus on smart scaling, including an overview of how they decided breeding pigs along with the other animals was the best decision for their ten acre farm. We’ll conclude the day with a group meal, details to be announced. IMPORTANT: Please wear boots/shoes that can be sanitized (sanitizer provided) if at all possible. Though we will have booties on site, biosecurity for animals is just as important as Covid-19 safety for humans! $10 for members, $20 for non-members, free for BFTP. REGISTER HERE.
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