Wednesday, March 19, noon - 5 pm
Morgan Hill Community Center, Morgan Hill
Main Presenters:
Jim Leap. Farm Manager, emeritus, for the UC Santa Cruz Agro-ecology program farm and garden, part of the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). Jim is
currently the farm advisor for the Sunol AgPark and other SAGE projects. He also works on USDA
field station trials, advises on the UCSC farm program, and runs his own small farm.
Darryl Wong. Farm Site and Research Lands Manager, UCSC CASFS. Before joining CASFS, Darryl
co-owned and operated, Freewheelin Farm, a seven acre organic operation near Santa Cruz.
Topics:
Vegetable Row Crop Production, Jim Leap. The following topics will be covered:
* Resources - brief discussion and detailed handout * Regulatory requirements * Current pest
and disease issues in our region * Efficient water use (drip and sprinkler)* Non-chemical weed
management strategies * Scale appropriate tractor and implement options and configurations *
Business Planning & Marketing, Darryl Wong. The following topics will be covered:
* Starting farm budgets (both capital and operational * Realistic growth curves *
Assessing markets * Basic record keeping for financial management *
Sadie Clements, Regional Manager, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), will make
a brief presentation about Farm to Market Tools and Services. Brett Melone, Loan Officer,
California FarmLink, will make a brief presentation about financing options.
Schedule: Noon – 12:45 pm Registration, lunch and networking.
12:45 – 1 pm Welcome and introductions.
1 pm – 3 pm Production topics with Q & A
3:15 pm – 5 pm Business planning and marketing topics with Q & A
Cost: Program and lunch: $10 (or sliding scale). Free follow up technical assistance is available to a
limited number of beginning farmers in Alameda, Contra Costa & Santa Clara Counties.
To Register: Please visit www.sagecenter.org to RVSP. For more information, please email
beginningfarmerrancher@sagecenter.org or call 510-526-1793 x5.
Co-sponsors: The Workshop is presented by SAGE (Sustainable Agriculture Education), in collaboration with the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, Loma Prieta RCD, Alameda County RCD, Community
Alliance with Family Farmer, and California Farm Link.
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