Ag Opportunities

Volume 24, Number 5
May 2013

Growing Growers Workshops (Kansas City)

In the Kansas City area, as in many other cities across the country, there is a growing demand for locally produced farm products. Growing Growers works to help area growers meet that demand.

First, we help existing farms expand their operations to whatever degree makes sense for them. As farmers, we can expand by developing our production skills, by becoming more effective at selling our product, and by "growing" our farms. There is a challenge in this kind of expansion; it takes time, money, and the willingness to learn new skills.

Second, we help new farms get started. As the older generation of farmers retires, we need farmers to replace them, and more. Getting into farming "from scratch" is not an easy thing. It requires a wide range of skills - agricultural, marketing, and business management. it requires land, and it requires financial investment.

Growing Growers was established to address this need for more farmers and for more effective farmers. As collaboration between K-State Research and Extension, University of Missouri Research and Extension, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, the Kansas City Food Circle (a consumer organization), Cultivate KC and the Kansas Rural Center, we set out the goal of providing educational opportunities to help new growers get started and established ones get better at what they do.

Our workshops are open to the public and are appropriate for anyone interested in growing. We try to offer a range of workshops covering "Market Farming 101" topics, plus a few more advanced topics. We focus on practices and a scale of production suitable for a market farmer. Participants typically include apprentices, new or experienced growers and others who are interested in the particular topic or who are considering trying to farm.

• Monday, May 13 - 4 pm to 7 pm
  Post-Harvest Handling and Food Safety (Lawrence, KS) * core workshop
  For more information or to register: smithjen@ksu.edu
• Monday, June 10 - 4 pm to 7 pm
  Drip Irrigation and Small Farm Equipment (Olathe, KS) * core workshop
  For more information or to register: crivard@ksu.edu
• Saturday, July 13 - 9 am to 2 pm
  Weed, Pest and Disease Management (Kansas City, KS) * core workshop
  For more information or to register: nixonk@lincolnu.edu
• Monday, Aug. 5 - 4 pm to 7 pm
  Successful Microclimate Modification in Difficult Climates (Olathe, KS)
  For more information or to register: crivard@ksu.edu
• Monday, Aug. 24 - 4 pm to 7 pm
  Introduction to Fruit Production (Kingsville, MO)
  For more information or to register: batesma@missouri.edu

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