Virginia Beginning Farmer Upcoming Events

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Upcoming Events for Virginia Beginning Farmer and Ranchers – June 2018

Join us for these upcoming Virginia beginning farmer and rancher events sponsored by the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program:

June 7: VSU/USDA Field Day at Randolph Farm (Petersburg, VA): Randolph Farm will be open to the public for this exciting opportunity to learn about the latest trends, research, and proven techniques designed especially to help small, limited resource, urban and beginning farmers. USDA representatives will be on hand to explain how their agency resources can offer services and support for a wide variety of operations.

June 7: Opportunities and Challenges Associated with the Integration of Variable Rate Irrigation and Variable Rate Nitrogen Applications in Corn (Webinar): In this Climate Learning Network and ANREP Climate Science Initiative joint webinar Dr. Tim Shaver of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will discuss the possibilities and issues presented by the use of variable rate irrigation and variable rate nitrogen application in the production of corn.

June 11: Pond Building: Construction & Maintenance (Scottsburg, VA)

June 12: Southside Sustainable Ag Bus Tour (Halifax, VA)

June 12: Exploring Agritourism Marketing (Glen Allen, VA): Dr. Theresa Nartea, Extension specialist in marketing and agribusiness, will lead this workshop to introduce participants to marketing opportunities in agritourism.

June 12: Gardening for Life: Unlocking the Secrets of Soil (Hopewell, VA): Join us for a three-part workshop series where you’ll learn how to turn a small yard into a fruitful garden. This program will include classroom sessions and hands-on training/demonstrations. Dr. Leonard Githinji, Virginia Cooperative Extension Specialist, Sustainable & Urban Agriculture, will share how to identify your yard’s soil type and how to amend it to have beautiful and productive gardens.

June 12: Promoting Urban & Community Forestry through Staffing, Volunteer Groups, Tree Boards, & Ordinances (Webinar): The success of community forests relies on good management by municipal staff, volunteer groups, and tree boards framed around well-written ordinances. This presentation will explore how these components promote a healthy community forest, as well as how Extension educators can assist communities in the process.

June 12: Wildlife Benefits from Cover Crops on Working Lands (Webinar): As we continue to work with producers to enhance soil health on working lands, many producers and landowners wish to incorporate cover crops that benefit wildlife into their rotation. This webinar will describe some of the limitations and opportunities in adding soil health management practices with wildlife. 

June 14: Fish Cage Building (Petersburg, VA): Learn from specialists and staff with the VSU Aquaculture Program at this workshop designed for anyone with a farm pond who is interested raising fish in cages for profit or personal consumption. Participants will learn the basics of cage aquaculture and construct a fish cage. 

June 15: Agribusiness & Financial Management Course (St. Stephens, VA):Designed especially for limited-resource and veteran farmers, the six-part Agribusiness Production & Financial Management course will allow you to meet the mandatory USDA/FSA financial and production management borrower training requirements; Find resources to help boost farm profitability and income for farm families and local communities; and offer hands-on training to farmers and assist them in developing valuable skills in financial management and crop production. 

June 18: Weed Management on Your Pond (South Boston, VA)

June 19: Tour Brandon Farms (Dunneville, VA): Tour will highlight crop rotation with corn , winter wheat, and soybeans ,along with best management practices BMP

June 19: Gardening for Life: Gardening in Small Spaces (Hopewell, VA): If your yard gets full sun and you have access to a hose, you can grow more vegetables than you can probably eat. Join us to learn how to make the most of your space, which varieties do best in containers, and companion planting tips to keep maintenance to a minimum. We’ll provide free containers and you’ll take home some starter plants, too.

June 25: Pond Water Quality (South Boston, VA)

June 26: Tour Ashby Farm (Windy Ridge Farm) (Martinsville, VA): Tour will highlight vegetable and egg production. Specialty crops are rhubarb and purple sweet potatoes.

June 26: Tour Brandon Farms (Dunnsville, VA): Tour will highlight crop rotation with corn , winter wheat, and soybeans, along with best management practices BMP

June 26: Marketing Series: Exploring “Taste” & Specialty Crops (Powhatan, VA): Dr. Theresa Nartea, Extension specialist in marketing and agribusiness, will lead this onsite workshop at Casslemonte Farms in Powhatan. Owned and operated by Bill and India Cox, the farm is in its ninth year of bringing taste back to the table by producing heirloom vegetables and berries with a focus on nine principle products. 

June 26: Gardening for Life: Backyard Orchards (Hopewell, VA): Joel Koci, Virginia Cooperative Extension Associate Specialist, Urban Forestry, will share how apples, pears, plums, and blueberries can beautify your yard while providing fresh fruit. You’ll learn which varieties do best in our soils and climate, which fruits need partners for pollination, and how to plant and prune your fruit trees to get them off to a good start.

June 26: Have you Checked your Trees Lately? A Routine Check-up of Trees Saves Lives & Property (Webinar): Trees provide significant benefits to our homes and communities, but they may also become liabilities when they fall or break apart, causing property damage, personal injuries, and power outages. Learn how to inspect trees by identifying 7 of the most common structural tree defects that often result in failures.

June 26: Environmental Markets 101 (Webinar): Participants in this webinar will learn the basics of environmental markets on private agricultural and forest lands in the United States. 

 

Enjoy these events from the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition. And find all kinds of beginning farmer resources from beginningfarmers.org at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/additional-farming-resources/