By Darrin Pack
Purdue Extension’s Indiana Beginning Farmer program is offering two workshops covering a range of food safety and marketing topics useful to anyone who is new to farming or thinking about starting a farm.
The Beginning Farmer Northwest Regional Workshop will be held Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Home Economics Building at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds, 1406 Teal Road, Lafayette. The Beginning Farmer Northeast Regional Workshop will be held Nov. 19, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Sessions will be presented by Extension specialists and local farmers. Topics for both workshops include:
* Fresh produce safety and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
* Regulations for processing and marketing meat, poultry and eggs.
* Technical and financial resources for beginning farmers.
* Identifying market opportunities.
The Lafayette workshop will also include a panel of farmers discussing the proper equipment for farms of various sizes. The Fort Wayne workshop will feature a session on aquaponics.
“In addition to learning about the latest trends in produce safety and marketing, there will be ample opportunities for participants to meet other farmers and interact with Extension educators,” said Tamara Benjamin, diversified food and farming systems coordinator and one of the organizers of the beginning farmer regional workshops.
The Northwest Regional Workshop will be led by Karen Mitchell, Extension educator in Tippecanoe County, and Andrew Westfall, White County Extension educator. The Northeast Regional Workshop will be led by Michael O’Donnell, Extension educator in Delaware County, and James Wolff, Allen County Extension educator.
The workshops are free but space is limited and advance registration is recommended. Lunch and refreshments will be served.
Source:purdue.edu