‘Grow Your Farm’ short course coming up in May

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will hold a short course on small-scale farming May 3-4.

SHORT COURSE — Mike Popp, professor and agricultural economist, speaks to Center for Arkansas Farms and Food program participants. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The CAFF Small Farm Short Course titled “Grow Your Farm” provides an intensive two-day workshop with a deep dive into bed building, equipment and transplanting.

“We’ll also cover the basics of record keeping, profitability, branding and marketing,” said CAFF Program Director Heather Friedrich. “The course features both classroom and field study, so wear your work clothes. We’ll demo equipment and tour some local farms, too!”

The course will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and continue 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4. The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food is located at 1005 Meade Ave., Fayetteville.

The cost of the workshop is $100 thanks to a grant from Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and outreach program. Scholarships are also available. Lunch, refreshments and snacks will be provided. No experience is required, and the course is beginning-farmer-friendly, Friedrich noted. Guest speakers will include local farmers and technical experts.

The deadline to register is April 28 at NWAFarming.org.

This is the second CAFF Small Farm short course of 2024, with the first being held in February. The third and final short course of the year will be Oct. 18-19, focusing on crop planning and budgeting, soil health and equipment care.

CAFF supports local food entrepreneurs and increases small farm viability through experiential learning. Explore courses at LearnToFarm.org and follow on Instagram @caff_ar_farms. CAFF is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Farmers for Tomorrow fundraiser set for Sept. 14 at Center for Arkansas Farms and Food

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will hold a fundraising event 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, to support the Farmers for Tomorrow fund, a program to help aspiring farmers start their small farm businesses.

FARMERS FOR TOMORROW — Brian Foster, center left, of Sunny Acres Farms speaks with Farmers for Tomorrow fund supporters at the 2022 fundraising event. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

Dandelion Heart will provide live music, and Chef Haley O’Brien will prepare heavy hors d’oeuvres using ingredients grown by Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, CAFF, students in Fayetteville. Each guest will receive drink tickets for beers from Fossil Cove Brewing Co., Arkansas wines, or cocktails made with blackberries from the farm. A non-alcoholic version of the blackberry drink will also be available.

The event will be at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 1005 W. Meade St., in Fayetteville. CAFF is a part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Farmers for Tomorrow raised $5,000 at the inaugural fundraiser in 2022. Brian Foster and Frank Ostapowicz, two graduates of CAFF’s Farm School and Apprenticeship programs, received equal portions of the fund to help start their farms.

Foster started Sunny Acres Farms and sells produce at the farmers markets in Fayetteville and Goshen, and through community supported agriculture subscriptions. The former restaurateur also offers recipes with his produce at the markets.

Ostapowicz started Purple Finch Farms in Prairie Grove, selling produce in the region’s markets.

Foster and Ostapowicz were among the first CAFF Farm School and Apprenticeship Program participants in 2021. According to Heather Friedrich, CAFF program manager, the program is designed to strengthen and expand the region’s food and farming system, enhance local communities, and provide opportunities for farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food system leaders.

Ticket purchases and donations are an investment in the community’s regional food system, the local economy and food security, Friedrich added. Through the Farmers for Tomorrow Fund, CAFF aims to raise $10,000 annually to assist new Arkansas farmers.

Once former CAFF Farm School students or apprentices have acquired farmland in Arkansas and are ready to break ground, they can apply for start-up funds from Farmers for Tomorrow, Friedrich said. The funds are designated for purchasing tools, equipment, irrigation materials and seeds.

General admission tickets to the Farmers for Tomorrow fundraiser are $65 per person, or $330 for reserved tables of six people. Event tickets include complimentary food and drinks. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the event website, http://farmersfortomorrow.org/.

For those who may be unable to attend but still wish to support Farmers for Tomorrow, the registration form includes an option to make a donation.

The 2023 event is sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau, Adventure Subaru, Farm Credit of Western Arkansas and the Division of Agriculture, allowing all proceeds from the event to go directly to the Farmers for Tomorrow fund.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Farming opportunity seekers network with farmers March 9 in Fayetteville

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — People seeking experience on a working farm will have a chance to meet with farmers at a Center for Arkansas Farms and Food networking event on March 9.

FARM OPPS — Farm School students work the land at the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food in Fayetteville. A networking event will be held March 9 at Ozark Natural Foods. (U of A System Division of Ag photo)

The Farm Opportunities Mixer will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. that Thursday at Ozark Natural Foods Co-Op’s Taproom, 380 N. College Ave., in Fayetteville.

Heather Friedrich, assistant director for the center, said one major constraint to a small farm’s operations and expansion is labor. The event is intended to bring together farmers who are looking for farm workers and anyone interested in farm employment or experience opportunities, she added.

Complimentary food and drinks will be provided by Ozark Natural Foods.

On March 12, the center will also offer an in-person class on winter maintenance as part of Growers School programming. The class is $10 and will be held at 1005 Meade St. at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville.

Registration for the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food events can be done at NWAFarming.org.

The center’s Beginning Farmer classes are available online to the public for $10 each. They last about two hours. Recordings of the classes are available for those who register at BeginningFarmer.org.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Farmers for Tomorrow fundraiser set Oct. 19 to support aspiring farmers

By John Lovett
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will hold a fundraising event 5-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 to support the Farmers for Tomorrow fund, a new program to help Farm School and Apprenticeship program graduates start their farm business.

FARMERS FOR TOMORROW — Graduates of The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food's Farm School and Apprenticeship programs can be supported through the new Farmers for Tomorrow fund. (U of A System Division of Ag photo)

The event will occur at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 1005 W. Meade St., in Fayetteville. The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food (CAFF) is a part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. If it rains that evening, the event will be held at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences near the farm at 1371 W. Altheimer Dr.

Farmers for Tomorrow was established to help new farmers who have invested their time in their farm training through CAFF’s Farm School and Apprenticeship programs. The fundraising event will feature canapés from Chef Micah Klasky of The Hive, made with fruits and vegetables grown by CAFF students. The Creek Rocks, featuring musicians Cindy Wolf and Mark Bilyeu, will also perform. Wines from Arkansas wineries, beer from local breweries and a cocktail prepared with Arkansas fruits will also be served. A selection of non-alcoholic drinks will be available.

“Starting a new farm can be very expensive for first-generation farmers whose dream is to work the soil and provide healthy foods for their communities,” Heather Friedrich, program manager for CAFF, said. “Aside from land, the bare start-up essentials for fruit and vegetable production add up quickly.”

Once former CAFF Farm School students or apprentices have acquired farmland in Arkansas and are ready to break ground, they can apply for start-up funds from Farmers for Tomorrow, Friedrich said. The funds are designated for purchasing tools, equipment, irrigation materials and seeds.

“Students who’ve completed the CAFF programs have positioned themselves to succeed in farming,” Friedrich said. “They’ve trained in small farm production and farm entrepreneurship. Once they’ve acquired their farmland, they are well on their way to providing food for Arkansas. Farmers for Tomorrow can give these new farms a boost to launch. Ticket purchases and donations are an investment in our community’s regional food system, the local economy, and food security.”

General admission tickets to the Farmers for Tomorrow fundraiser are $65 per person, or $1,200 for reserved tables of six people. Event tickets include complimentary food and drinks. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the event website, http://farmersfortomorrow.org/.

For those who may be unable to attend but still wish to support Farmers for Tomorrow, please visit the website and click the “Donate to Farmers” button at the top of the screen.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.