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OSU
Extension, Darke County
Conference to Help Small Farm
Owners 'Open
Doors to Success'
By Sam Custer
WILMINGTON,
Ohio -- Small farm owners who
want to learn more about how to make their farms work better for them
by
increasing profits, increasing marketing efforts, expanding operations,
or
adding new educational or agritainment amenities can attend workshops
and
presentations on these and more issues during a small farm conference
on March
8-9 in Wilmington, Ohio.
The
"Opening Doors to Success"
conference and trade show is designed to help producers learn more
tips,
techniques and methods and to increase their awareness to make their
small farm
operations more successful, which can lead to increased farm profits,
said Tony
Nye, an Ohio State University Extension educator.
"This
intensive conference will provide
participants the opportunity to choose from a diverse variety of
seminars that
can help their farming operations be successful," he said. "The
conference is a great opportunity to network and learn from other
producers,
Extension experts and representatives from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture."
The
conference kicks off with a panel
discussion of Ohio producers who will talk about "Opportunities and
Challenges to Running a Successful Small Farm Operation." The group
will
address issues surrounding labor, financing, deciding on a farm
specialty,
dealing with customers, and whether or not to add agritainment or
education
components to a farm.
The
conference, which will be held at
Wilmington College, Boyd Cultural Arts Center, 1870 Quaker Way in
Wilmington,
will feature 25 sessions from Ohio State and industry experts and a
trade show
for small farmers that will offer information that can benefit a
variety of
growers, Nye said.
About
250 people are expected to attend the
conference. The overall goal of the event is to teach farmers,
producers and
growers how to connect with buyers and to know the importance of
marketing to
make sure they understand what it takes to be successful in marketing
their
agricultural products, he said.
Some
of the topics to be addressed include:
Beekeeping
Vermiculture
Vegetable
Nutrient Management
Generating
Energy for the Small Farm
Utilizing
Maps and Apps Technology to Market
Your Business
Christmas
Tree Production
Cover
Crops
Grafting
of Trees
Lavender
Production
Raised
Bed Production
Pasture
Management
Selecting
a Livestock Enterprise for a Small
Farm
Fertigation
of Tomatoes
Greenhouse/Tunnel
Production
Food
Safety
Agricultural
Law Considerations
Developing
Water Systems for Pastures
Growing
Hops
Marketing
Financial
Management
Disease
Management of Fruits and Vegetables
The
conference is an outgrowth of the Ohio New
and Small Farm College, an eight-week program created by OSU Extension
that
offers an introduction to the business of small farming for those who
are new
to the industry. The program offers information on budgeting, business
planning
and how to develop a farm structure, among other issues.
The
conference is co-sponsored by OSU
Extension's Small Farm Program; Wilmington College; Farm Credit
Mid-America;
USDA's Farm Service Agency; Natural Resources Conservation Service; and
National Agriculture Statistic Service and Rural
Development.
The
conference starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs
until 4:15 p.m. Registration is $20 for the March 8 session and $50 for
the
March 9 session, or $60 for both days. The deadline to register is
March 1. For
more information or to register, go to http://clinton.osu.edu
or contact Nye at 937-382-0901 or by email at nye.1@osu.edu.
For
more information, visit the Darke County OSU
Extension web site at www.darke.osu.edu,
the OSU Extension Darke County Facebook page or contact Sam
Custer, at 937.548.5215.
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