Events

Please bring with you:

• Picture ID  (driver’s license or passport)
• Social Security card  (or other official document with your name and SSN)
• W-9  (if receiving equipment through the Farmers Market Coalition)

Click here to sign up to be a SNAP Retail Merchant

Contact Paula Varn at pvarn@clemson.edu for more details.

AGAware is a program that seeks to promote and educate the next generation of young, beginning, small and underserved farmers. AGAware is comprised of three divisions:

• Educational workshops
• Proactive community involvement projects to promote agriculture
• Speakers bureau to promote agriculture and educate

The AGAware program will offer insight into topics that include the following:

• Balance Sheets
• Income Statements
• Personal Finance
• Credit Bureau Scores
• Risk Management
• Succession Planning
• Building a Budget
• Accrual Income
• Available Finance Programs for YBSM

Register here: https://www.agsouthfc.com/News/AGAware.aspx

North Carolina State University and North Carolina Cooperative Extension are partnering with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) and other partners to deliver workshops across the state with the aim of providing farmers with the tools to reduce food safety risks and meet market requirements.

The Navigating the USDA GAP Audit workshop, will combine classroom and on-farm instruction to provide producers with the tools needed to identify potential food safety concerns, as well as strategies to minimize potential contamination. Available resources, including consulting services, will be provided to growers who participate to assist with the implementation of an effective on-farm food safety program. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance to fulfill training verification for those undergoing a GAP audit.

Registration: $20 CFSA Members / $25 Non-Members (includes lunch). To register by phone, call 919.542.2402.

Attendees will learn about the resources and programs available to provide technical, financial, and educational assistance to SC farmers. More than two dozen agencies and organizations will participate in this roundup of expertise. Attendees will have an opportunity to chat with representatives and learn about program details and availability.

General admission ($20) includes lunch and program materials.

Interested in learning more about what it means to be organic? Clemson invites you to attend an organic workshop to learn more about certified organic operations in South Carolina and Clemson University's Organic Certification Program. This workshop is free to attend. To register contact Jennifer Boyles at 843-616-0786.

Farming on a small farm requires labor, not just from the farmer but from others as well. This 4-hour workshop will showcase how to structure labor on a small farm through the eyes of established regional farmers. This is a great workshop to attend if you have been farming and are looking to take your farm to the next level by bringing on additional labor support. Legal and financial considerations will be highlighted and discussed to better understand which labor structure best fits your farming model. Training is $40 and includes lunch.

igh tunnels offer many benefits in vegetable and small fruit production. However, purchasing and installing can be costly. Come and learn about a low cost DIY tunnel that can be installed in hours on your own farm! Also, there will be discussions on other buying and construction options including cost share opportunities.

Summer and fall production can be difficult in high tunnels due to excessive heat and high pest pressure. There will be discussion on production options for high tunnels during summer months and how to prepare for fall crops. A portion of this day will be HANDS-ON learning.

This purpose of this training is to guide participants in developing skills that are key to success in the marketplace, including in harvesting, washing, cooling and packing methods for different types of vegetables that yield a high quality product and minimize food safety risks. Based on feedback from our previous Wholesale Success trainings, in addition to critical information on best harvest- and post-harvest handling practices to meet market standards, participants will gain first-hand experience in the field and processing shed with harvesting and processing various types of vegetables.

Cost to attend the workshop for the general public is $10. Registration includes a Wholesale Success manual and a local foods lunch. Registration is limited to 45 participants.

No-till vegetable production offers a more sustainable approach to weed management than the frequent use of herbicides and tillage, and also promotes soil health. Because cover crop based no-till vegetable production involves a different approach to management, growers may be reluctant to transition from conventional tillage without seeing the system in action and knowing its costs and benefits compared with conventional tillage. In this workshop, there will be discussion on the pros and cons of cover cropping and no-till with recommendations based on current research and our experiences in the field over the past decade.

Fee to attend is $15 for the general public

A Produce Safety Rule Training for produce growers who must meet the requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule will be held in Greenville on Monday, June 4.

AGAware is a program that seeks to promote and educate the next generation of young, beginning, small and underserved farmers. AGAware is comprised of three divisions:

• Educational workshops
• Proactive community involvement projects to promote agriculture
• Speakers bureau to promote agriculture and educate

The AGAware program will offer insight into topics that include the following:

• Balance Sheets
• Income Statements
• Personal Finance
• Credit Bureau Scores
• Risk Management
• Succession Planning
• Building a Budget
• Accrual Income
• Available Finance Programs for YBSM