Sustainable Farming: Putting PlanSustainable Farming: Putting Plans into Action,

Tuesday evenings, 6 - 8 p.m. from March 18 - april 29 in Petoskey.

North Central Michigan College

Room 536 Student Community Resource Center
$20/session includes all materials (Farmers may request 50% discount.)

Planning and Planting for the Long Term
Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 – 8:00 PM               $20 includes materials (Farmers may request 50% discount.)
Room 536 Student Community Resource Center
Design your farm or garden to feed your family, using companion planting, crop rotation, and biodiversity management.  Bring your ideas and leave with your personal farm/garden plan.  Instructor Larry Dyer will explain the principles, provide resources, and guide you through steps to planning your farm or garden.

Manage Weeds Ecologically in Your Farm, Vineyard or Orchard
Tuesday, March 25, 6:00 – 8:00 PM               $20 includes materials (Farmers may request 50% discount.)
Room 536 Student Community Resource Center
Weeds are often the biggest challenge for growers.  Knowing the weeds and understanding how they grow will help you manage them.  In this hands-on session we will learn about some of the most common weeds in annual crops and perennial crops like grapes and tree fruits.  We will discuss strategies and tools for weed management, and we will incorporate weed management into your farm or garden plan.  Instructor Larry Dyer will help you identify common weeds and create your own weed management plan.

Create an Ecologically-Minded Insect Management Plan for Your Farm, Vineyard or Orchard
Tuesday, April 8, 6:00 – 8:00 PM                    $20 includes materials (Farmers may request 50% discount.)
Room 536 Student Community Resource Center
We are usually most aware of the insects that damage our crops, but most insects are not pests, and many, such as predators and pollinators are beneficial.  This workshop will emphasize managing the beneficial insects as well as some common pests.  Instructor Larry Dyer will introduce you to the different roles insects play in both annual and perennial cropping systems and help you develop a plan to manage both pests and beneficial insects.

Create an Ecologically-Minded Disease Management Plan for Your Farm, Vineyard or Orchard
Tuesday, April 15, 6:00 – 8:00 PM      $20 includes materials (Farmers may request 50% discount.)
The first step in disease prevention is to know the different kinds of disease-causing organisms and understand how they function in the farm environment.  We will look at some of the most common diseases of vegetable and fruit crops from an ecological perspective.  Instructor Larry Dyer will help you develop your own disease management plan using organic methods.

Organic Certification - Create Your Organic Systems Plan
 
Tuesday, April 29, 6:00 – 8:00 PM      $20 includes materials (Farmers may request 50% discount.)
Organic farming is an ecologically balanced, integrated way of farming.  It also has a legal definition under the USDA National Organic Program. Central to certification is the organic systems plan and inspection.  In addition to enabling you to label your farm products as organic, many farmers find that creating an organic systems plan also helps them be better farmers.  In this interactive workshop instructor Larry Dyer will explain how the USDA National Organic Program works, and help you get started on your organic systems plan.
s into Act, Tuesday evenings, 6 - 8 p.m. from March 18 - april 29 in Petoskey.\