Other Ag News: Grow Your Farm Dreams with Our Online Courses

Do you want to take your farm business to the next level? Enroll now in this season’s final offering of online courses from the Cornell Small Farms Program to invest in the long-term success of your operation. Learn to expand your scope of production with courses covering season extension with high tunnels, integration of uncommon fruits, and an introduction to orchard management. Prepare and protect yourself for anything that comes your way by learning to write a comprehensive business plan, navigate financial risks, and market your products online to grow your customer base.

By investing in your continued education, you are investing in the long-term success of your farm. Live webinars for this final block of courses will begin in late February.

Our online courses are designed to be flexible and user-friendly. All course materials are stored on our single, easy-to-use web platform, which you can access for life after enrolling in a course. Tune in to weekly webinars to hear from experts and ask questions in real time, and complete all other course reading and assignments when it works for you. We also offer tiered pricing based on household size and income in our effort to make courses affordable, accessible, and equitable for all.

Registration is open now for all courses. Explore the full array of course offerings on our website and secure your spot for live webinars, which begin the week of February 23.

BF 103: Taking Care of Business

Mondays: February 23 – March 30 at 7 p.m.

This course helps early stage farmers assess and manage a variety of risks that they will face. Throughout the six weeks of the course, we will discuss topics essential for operating a viable farm business, including insurance coverage, business structures and tax information.

BF 110: Soil Health

Tuesdays: February 24 – March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

The health and productivity of the soil forms the basis for any farm’s success, profitability, and ecological sustainability. Successful farmers need to develop a holistic approach to preserving and building soil health and fertility. Stewardship of the soil is arguably the most important job of any farmer or gardener.

BF 123: Growing Uncommon Fruit

Tuesdays: February 24 – March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Do you want to learn more about lesser-known fruit? This course will help you determine whether incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation is the right decision for you. We’ll walk you through all aspects of this decision, from possible fruits and appropriate site selection to marketing and profit potential, plus the advantages to including woody perennials into your farm plan. Many of these fruits can be successful in a forest farming setting, so are attractive to people with an interest in agroforestry. Expand your understanding of these promising crops and how they could improve your farm’s ecosystem while possibly also supporting your bottom line. Note: This course is designed as a companion to the BF 122: Berry Production course, but you do NOT have to take BF 122 before taking BF 123.

BF 202: Writing a Business Plan

Mondays: February 23 – March 30 at 6 p.m.

Whether you intend to borrow money or not, heading into a farm venture without a business plan is like setting out on a long-distance journey without a map. Arm yourself with a business plan and you will have a guide to aid your farm decision-making and demonstrate to yourself and your family that your ideas are feasible. This steady-paced course is designed to help you build your plan, including developing financial statements.

BF 205: Social Media & Online Marketing

Thursdays: February 26 – April 2 at 7 p.m.

Are webpages still useful? Does Facebook drive sales in real life? What do hashtags do? What kinds of photos do customers respond to? What are good strategies for low-cost online sales/marketing? What is Square and should I be using it? If you’ve been struggling with questions like these for your farm, this course is a great starting place for you. Taught by farmers and other ag professionals, you’ll get real-life, practical ideas and explanations to help you build a successful online presence, grow your customer base, and sell more product.

BF 220: Season Extension with High Tunnels

Wednesdays: February 25 – April 1 at 7 p.m.

Adding weeks to either end of your growing season can mean attaining a premium for having products available well before (or long after) other local growers. But the structures that make this possible–unheated plastic-covered “high tunnels” or “hoop houses”–can cost a lot of money, and they bring special management considerations that need to be understood in order to be profitable for year-round production.

BF 223: Introduction to Tree Fruit Production

Thursdays: February 26 – April 2 and Mondays: March 16 – March 23, all at 6:30 p.m.

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. Planting and management of apple and other tree fruit orchards is a rewarding hobby and business, but you cannot simply plant trees and expect good fruit. There’s a lot that goes into successful orcharding! This course trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management. Content will include site selection and management, rootstock and cultivar selection, orchard systems, pest management, nutrient management, and harvest considerations for commercial orchards tailored to the northeast region of the U.S.

BF 231: Grazing Management

Tuesdays: February 24 – March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Grazing is more than simply turning livestock out onto a green pasture and hoping for the best. Sound grazing management is an economical farming practice that helps you reduce your workload, keep your animals happier and healthier, and improve the overall productivity and profitability of your farm. Well-managed grazing systems also provide greater environmental benefits and enhance habitat for many wildlife species. In this course, you’ll learn the key concepts of successful grazing operations that can be adapted and successfully implemented on your own farm. The course focus will be on grazing ruminant livestock, but most of the information will be relevant to non-ruminant animals as well.

In our ongoing commitment to equitable access to education, we have maintained tiered pricing for our courses based on household size and income. We also offer scholarships for eligible farmers in New York who face an entry barrier to farming, and for military veterans in New York State.

You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.

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