Did you know that CSFP moved their suite of online courses to a new, more user-friendly platform last year? Now, registrants will have permanent access to their course content. Also, courses have tiered pricing based on household size and income to make access to the courses more affordable and equitable for everyone.
Registration is now open for all courses, with live content starting at the beginning of November for the second block of courses:
Beef Cattle Management
Wednesdays: November 4 – December 9, 2020
This new course will show you how having a successful cattle business is about much more than just buying a few head and putting them in a field. Learn about appropriate breeds, marketing strategies, and many more aspects of starting a beef enterprise.
Berry Production
Tuesdays: November 3 – December 8, 2020
If you’re exploring the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to your farm, this course will help you think through this decision, from varieties and site selection to profit and marketing. This course will be especially useful if you are interested in growing berries for income.
Getting Started with Pastured Pigs
Mondays: November 2 – December 7, 2020
Pigs can be a profitable stand-alone enterprise, or can be integrated into an existing farm structure, as they provide a variety of products and are also ideal for turning agricultural wastes into valuable product. This course will guide you through the production and marketing of pigs raised in pasture settings.
Intro to Maple Syrup Production
Thursdays: November 5 – December 17, 2020
Maple syrup production is rapidly growing around the Northeast and offers a sound financial opportunity to utilize woodlots. This course explores the range possibilities of maple sugaring on your land, including “alternative” trees for production, such as Birch and Black Walnut.
Poultry Production
Tuesdays: November 3 – December 8, 2020
Many new farmers get started with poultry because it’s a relatively low-investment with a fairly quick revenue turnaround. The margins can be slim though, and this course will help you develop the necessary skills to build a successful poultry enterprise.
Vegetable Production I
Wednesdays: November 4 – December 9, 2020
This course will help you answer basic questions about site selection, crop rotation, seeding and transplanting, as well as the financial aspects of vegetable crop production. Afterward take Vegetable Production II, the continuation of this course, which will guide you through the growing season from planting to harvest.
In addition to these winter online farming courses, Cornell Small Farms offers many other online courses to help farmers improve their technical and business skills. These courses cover a range of topics any farmer needs to succeed, such as beekeeping, holistic financial planning, soil health, social media, and so much more. Experienced farmers and extension educators guide students through course content, including weekly live webinars, videos, and resources.
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in Teachable, the online course platform. To add to the experience, webinars will be woven into the interface of the course for a dedicated time slot each year to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters and ask questions in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
You can browse all of the course offerings on the Cornell Small Farms website.
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