New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program | For New Famers: Calendar of Upcoming Events

Workshops and events

Listed below is a selection of workshops and events that may be of interest to beginning farmers. Be sure to check with the sponsoring organizations to see when these and other classes are offered.

Upcoming Workshops and Events	Location	Date
Small/Beginning Farmer Workshop (offered by Rutgers) Topics will include: effective use of backpack sprayers; hand tools for weed control; observations from Rutgers trials of kaolin clay sprays on apples, potatoes, and eggplant; and crop insurance options for small and organic farmers	Rutgers Cooperative Extension - Mercer County Office	February 7, 2012
Exploring the Small Farm Dream - Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right for You? (course consists of 4 Tuesday night sessions or 4Wednesday night sessions; and 1 weekend field trip) Offered by NOFA-NJ	Varies - contact NOFA-NJ	Ongoing - check NOFA-NJ website
Tilling the Soil of Opportunity - a farm business planning class (a 5 Saturday class) Offered by NOFA-NJ	Varies - contact NOFA-NJ	Ongoing - check NOFA-NJ website
Online Courses for Aspiring, New, & Experienced Beginning Farmers (offered by the Northeast Beginning Farmers Project) BF 101: Square One - Building a Farm that Matches Your Values, Goals, Skills, and Resources BF 102: Markets and Profits - Exploring the Feasibility of Your Farming Ideas BF 103: Taking Care of Business - Understaing the Business, Regulatory, and Tax Implications of Your Farm BF 104: Financial Records - Setting up Systems to Track Your Profitability BF 105: Machinery and Equipment - Evaluating What's Right for Your Operation BF 106: Organic Certification: What, How, and Why (or Why Not) BF 110: Soil Health: Investing in the Vitality of Your Farm BF 120: Veggie Production - From Planning to Planting BF 121: Veggie Production - From Season-Long Care to Market BF 122: Berry Production - Getting Started with Growing and Marketing BF 130: Poultry Production - Profiting from Layers, Broilers, Turkeys, and Ducks BF 201: Making Money - Pricing, Positioning, and Writing Your Marketing Plan BF 202: Planning to Stay in Business - Writing Your Business Plan	(Northeast - online)	Ongoing - check website (October - April)
Exploring the Small Farm Dream - Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right for You? Offered by Penn State	Various locations (PA)	See Penn State website
eOrganic Webinars - various agricultural topics	(Online)	Ongoing - check website
Rutgers Cooperative Extension - Farmer Twilight Meetings	NJ	Ongoing
NOFA-NJ - Farmer Twilight Meetings	NJ	Ongoing
PASA - Farm-Based Education Programs	PA	Ongoing
Rodale Institute - Field days and farmer-training events	Kutztown, PA	Ongoing
Additional workshops and calendars
Additional events may be found on the calendars of other agricultural organizations: Rutgers Cooperative Extension NOFA-NJ Northeast Beginning Farmers Project Cornell Small Farms Program CT NOFA Penn State Rodale Institute	NJ, throughout the Northeast, and online	Ongoing
Some additional workshops offered in the past
Annie's Project - a Farm Business Management Course For Women (6 session class organized by Rutgers) Event flier	Hackettstown, NJ Cape May Court House, NJ	Feb. - March 2011
Intensive Training in Organic Vegetable Production	Allentown, PA	Nov. 22, 2010
Organic Weed Control: Hands-on training program for agricultural educators and farmers	Snyder Research Farm (Pittstown, NJ)	September 17, 2010
Country Life Series - Sustainable Agriculture for Profit and Pleasure Part 1: Growing Organic Veggies	Cape May Rutgers Cooperative Extension (Cape May Courthouse)	April 13, 2010
Preparing an Animal Waste Management Plan - 2-hour educational workshops Offered by Rutgers Cooperative Extension	Monmouth Salem Salem Burlington	Jan. 21, 2010 Jan. 26, 2010 Feb. 23, 2010 Feb. 24, 2010
Rodale Institute - Field days 2008: Organic No-Till: New Farming Strategy for the 21st Century 2009: Cashing in on Soil Health 2010: Soil Building and Weed Management 2011: Value of Research in Organic Production	Kutztown, PA	Annually in the summer
Small/Beginning Farmer Equipment Demonstration and Field Day - Selecting the Proper Equipment For Your Small Farm Event flier Detailed field day outline	Snyder Research Farm (Pittstown, NJ)	Last offered: Oct. 12, 2009
Farm Productivity Workshops - offered through Rutgers NJAES/ Office of Continuing Professional Education	See website/contact Rutgers	See website/contact Rutgers
Beginning Farmer Training - Similar to Exploring the Small Farm Dream, this was a 5-session introductory course designed for people who are interested in farming but who have little farming experience	Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Upper Deerfield, NJ)	Last offered: Feb/March 2006
Entering a Profitable Small Scale Farm Business Workshop - Contact: John Grande A 2-3 session hands-on workshop that covered farm operation skills such as using a tractor, soil preparation, mulching, seeding, and cultivation	Snyder Research Farm (Pittstown, NJ)	Last offered: Several years ago

NJ and other winter agriculture meetings

The following are some winter agricultural meetings that may be of interest to beginning farmers.

Future Harvest - CASA Annual Conference	Landsdowne, VA	January 13-14, 2012
Delaware Ag Week	DE	January 16-21, 2012
NJ State Ag Convention and NJ Vegetable Growers Association Convention	Atlantic City, NJ	January 17-19, 2012
NJ Nursery and Landscape Association Trade Show	Edison, NJ	January 24-25, 2012
NOFA-NJ Annual Winter Conference	Princeton, NJ	January 28-29, 2012
Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention and Trade Show	Hershey, PA	Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, 2012
PASA Farming for the Future Conference	State College, PA	February 1-4, 2012

For more information: Visit the Resources for New and Aspiring Farmers page for more information about these and other workshops, programs, organizations, and events.