Past Farmer Trainings

Winter 2019-2020 Calendar

Growing Crops in Low, High and Movable Tunnels
With Steve Munno (Massaro Farm)

  • Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 (1 – 4pm) @ Massaro Farm – 41 Ford Road in Woodbridge

Review of Top 10 Issues on Veg Farms in 2019: Pests, Disease, Soils, Climate Change, Oh My!
With Matt DeBacco & Kip Kolesinskas

  • Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 (3:30 - 6:30pm) @ Tolland Ag Center - 24 Hyde Avenue in Vernon
  • January 29th, 2020 (3:30 - 6:30pm) @ Brainerd Memorial Library - 920 Saybrook Rd. in Haddam

Farmland Access
With Will O'Meara (Land For Good)

  • Monday, December 16th, 2019 (3 - 6pm) @ Common Ground Highschool - 358 Springside Ave in New Haven
  • February 6th, 2020 (3 - 6pm) @ Hartford County Extension Center, Exchange Building - Suite 262
    Building 4, 270 Farmington Ave in Farmington  (Click here for > Directions Hartford County Extension Center.pdf)

Small Fruit Production for Small Scale Farming
With Mary Concklin (UConn Extension & Raspberry Knoll Farm)

  • Wednesday, December 18th, 2019 (3 - 6pm) @ The Buchanan Room, Mansfield Public Library - 54 Warrenville Road in Mansfield Center

Managing Invasive Species on Small Farms
Bryan Connolly (Framingham State University & Cobblestone Farm)

  • Wednesday, March 25th, 2020 (4 - 7pm) @ Tolland Ag Center - 24 Hyde Avenue in Vernon

Season Extension Day!.pdf

  • Saturday, February 1, 2020 (8:30am - 3:30pm) @ Middlesex County Extension Center - 1066 Saybrook Rd, Haddam (View Flyer Here Season Extension Day!.pdf)

Greenhouse/Tunnel Construction
Winter Production in Greenhouses/Tunnels
Keynote Speaker: Andrew Mefferd, of Growing for Market
Other presenters: Toby Fischer of Connecticut Greenhouse Company, Steve Munno of Massaro Community Farm and Nancy Barrett, UConn Extension - Risk Management
Lunch is included in $20 registration fee.

Winter 2018-2019 Calendar

Spanish translation available upon request!

BF 101: New Farmer Business Planning
With Joe Bonelli (UConn Extension)

  • Saturday February 16th, 2019 (10am – 1pm), @ GVI Office -- 150 Gregory St., Bridgeport

BF 102: Setting up Financial Records for Farm Business
With Kitchen Table Consultants

  • Saturday February 2nd, 2019 (12:30pm - 4:30pm) @ Auerfarm -- 158 Auer Farm Rd., Bloomfield

BF 103: Finding, Evaluating Farm Sites, Leasing Farmland
With Kip Kolesinskas

  • Saturday December 1st, 2018 (10am - 1pm) @ GVI Office -- 150 Gregory St., Bridgeport

BF 106: Vegetable Production for Small Scale Farming
With Matt DeBacco & Shuresh Ghimire (UConn Extension)

  • Saturday January 5th, 2019 (10am - 1pm) @ Brainerd Memorial Library - 920 Saybrook Rd., Haddam
  • Saturday February 23rd, 2019 @ CT-NOFA Winter Conference
  • Monday March 11th, 2019 (4 - 7pm) @ Tolland County Ag Center - 24 Hyde Avenue, Vernon

BF 107: Tree Fruit Production for Small Scale Farming
With Mary Conklin (UConn Extension)

  • Tuesday February 26th, 2019 (7 - 9pm) @ Fairfield County Extension Center - 67 Stony Hill Road, Bethel

BF 110: Growing Crops in Low, High and Movable Tunnels
With Steve Munno (Massaro Farm)

  • Tuesday December 4th, 2018 (4 - 7pm) @ Killingly Ag High School - 226 Putnam Pike, Dayville
  • Saturday January 26th, 2019 (10am - 1pm) @ KNOX Inc. - 75 Laurel Street, Hartford

BF 125: Agriculture Engineering on Small Farms for Post-harvest handling
With Chris Callahan (UVM Extension)

  • Wednesday November 14th (1 - 4pm) @ Russo's Roots Farm - 289 North Society Rd, Canterbury
  • Thursday November 15th (9am - 12pm) @ Gifts of Love Farm - 73 Wolcott Road, Simsbury

BF 130: Marketing: Branding 101
With Keith Padin (Full Heart Farm)

  • Saturday December 8th, (10am - 1pm) @ Grow Windham - 872 Main Street, Willimantic
  • March 5th, (7 - 9pm) @ Fairfield County Extension Center - 67 Stony Hill Road, Bethel

BF 140: Marketing: Streamlining Your Social Media
With Allyson Angelini (Full Heart Farm)

  • Saturday December 15th, (10am - 1pm) @ Grow Windham - 872 Main Street, Willimantic

BF 155: Getting Started in Farmers Market Sales

  • Saturday March 9th (10am - 12pm) @ GVI Office -- 150 Gregory St., Bridgeport

BF 202: Financial Record Keeping for Farm Operations
With Kitchen Table Consultants

  • Saturday February 2nd, 2019 (12:30pm - 4:30pm) @ Auerfarm -- 158 Auer Farm Rd., Bloomfield

BF 204: Soil Health and Conservation Plannning
With Kip Kolesinskas and Katherine van der Woude

  • Saturday February 23rd, 2019 @ CT-NOFA Winter Conference
  • *POSTPONED* Wednesday March 6th, 2019 (4 - 7pm) @ Tolland County Ag Center - 24 Hyde Avenue, Vernon  NEW DATE TBA

BF 220: Safety & Maintenance for Small Engines & Power Tools
With Shane LeBrake

  • Sunday October 14th, 2018 (9am - 4pm) @ Massaro Farm - 41 Ford Road in Woodbridge
    • 10/14 offering will be presented in Spanish!
  • Monday October 15th, 2018 (9am - 4pm) @ Massaro Farm - 41 Ford Road in Woodbridge

BF 221: Tractor Safety & Maintenance
With Shane LeBrake

  • Saturday October 13th, 2018 (9am - 4pm) @ Massaro Farm - 41 Ford Road in Woodbridge

BF 240: Pesticide Safety – for Conventional and Organic Producers
With Mary Concklin (UConn Extension)

  • Wednesday January 9th, 2019 (5 - 8pm) @ Gifts of Love Farm - 73 Wolcott Road, Simsbury  *pesticide recertification credits available*
  • Tuesday March 12th, 2019 (4 - 7pm) @ Killingly Ag High School - 226 Putnam Pike, Dayville   *pesticide recertification credits available*

BF 250: Climate Change & Adaptation Strategies
With Kip Kolesinskas

  • Wednesday December 12th, 2018 (4 - 7pm) @ Common Ground High School -  358 Springside Ave. New Haven
  • Saturday January 19th, 2019 (10am - 1pm) @ Gifts of Love Farm - 73 Wolcott Road, Simsbury

BF 255: Managing Invasive Plant Species on Small Farms

  • Wednesday March 13th, 2019 (4-7pm) @ KNOX Inc. - 75 Laurel Street, Hartford
  • Thursday March 21st, 2019 (4-7pm) @ Common Ground High School -  358 Springside Ave. New Haven

BF 260W: Operate Your Chainsaw with Safety & Confidence - FOR WOMEN
* day-long training* With Tom Worthley (UConn Extension)

  • Saturday March 30th, 2019 (8am - 4pm) @ Four Root Farm - 257 Tater Hill Rd, East Haddam  (Snow Date of Saturday April 6th, 2019)
    * Registration Required (No Walk-ins) *
    * REGISTRATION CLOSED (CLASS IS FULL) *

BF 270: Welding Basics for Agriculture
With Ken Couture (Killingly Ag High School)

  • Saturday January 12th, 2019 (8:30am - 4pm) @ Killingly Ag High School - 226 Putnam Pike, Dayville
  • Saturday February 9th, 2019 (8:30am - 4pm) @ Killingly Ag High School - 226 Putnam Pike, Dayville

Past Trainings (Fall 2016 - Spring 2018):

Our Partners

common-ground    grow-windham

 knox-logo 

Charlotte Ross is Owner/Operator of Sweet Acre Farm, a Certified Organic mixed vegetable and flower farm in Lebanon, CT.  She is also the Program Coordinator for the Solid Ground Farmer Training Program, a BFRDP-funded training series for growers in CT that is offered through UConn Extension.  She is a Steering Committee member of the New CT Farmer Alliance, a group that aims to connect new growers in the state with their peers, creating a strong network of growers to resource-share and support each other in the hard, critical work of farming.

 

This project is sponsored by the USDA-NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

Award #2016-70017-25416