This fall, local Extension educators in Wright, McLeod, and Meeker Counties will be offering the Small Farm Start Up School. This program consists of a seven week course that runs on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. from September 11 to October 30, excluding September 25. There will also be two Saturday farm tours on September 28 and October 19. The location of the course will be at the Dassel History Center & Ergot Museum in Dassel, MN.

The Small Farm Startup School is a business focused class for small-scale landowners or renters who are interested in learning how to use their land to produce a product related to fruit and vegetables, row crops, livestock, and/or related to agritourism. New and beginning farmers will gain a solid background in small farm operations, management, business planning, and feel empowered to seek out advanced learning opportunities.

No two farms look alike and the course will be tailored to meet the needs of the participants in and out of the tri-county area. Topics covered will include goal setting, county-based resources, soil management, logistics of fruit, vegetable, and livestock production, and more. Participants will also learn the basics of creating a business plan and work towards making one of their own. This course will give a good foundation of knowledge, connect participants to county based resources, and provide examples of successful area farms to help participants make the decision of what to do with their land.

Program Contacts: Emily Hansen, hans6005@umn.edu; Karen Johnson, ande9495@umn.edu; Taylor Herbert, therbert@umn.edu

Registration questions: Extension Registration, ext-reg@umn.edu

If you experience difficulties logging in: Contact the University of Minnesota IT Help Line at 612-301-4357. Please mention you are using a guest account to register for a non-credit event.

Start your registration by either logging in or signing in as a new user. Note that your registration fee covers the cost of two attendees and you will register both during this process.