LSP Farm Beginnings Course Deadline Aug. 26

2009-2010 Classes to be Held in River Falls, Wis., & Spicer, Minn.

CONTACT: Parker Forsell or Karen Stettler, LSP, 507-523-3366;
Amy Bacigalupo or Nick Olson, LSP, 320-269-2105

6/18/09
Dates and locations for the 2009-2010 sessions of the Land Stewardship Project's Minnesota-region Farm Beginnings course have been announced. Classes will begin this fall and are being held in two locations: River Falls, Wis., and Spicer, Minn. The deadline for registration is Aug. 26. For more information, call the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) at 507-523-3366 (Lewiston, Minn.) or 320-269-2105 (Montevideo, Minn.). Details on the course are also available at www.farmbeginnings.org.

In 2009, LSP’s Farm Beginnings program is marking its 12th year of providing firsthand training in low-cost, sustainable methods of farming. The course is tailor-made for people of all ages just getting started in farming, as well as established farmers looking to make changes in their operations. Farm Beginnings participants learn goal setting, financial planning, business plan creation, alternative marketing and innovative production techniques.

Classes are led by farmers and other agricultural professionals from the area. The classes, which meet approximately twice a month, run until March 2010, followed by an on-farm education component that includes farm tours and skills sessions.

During the past decade, over 350 people have graduated from the Minnesota-region Farm Beginnings program, and 60 percent of them are actively farming, according to class data. Farm Beginnings graduates are involved in a wide-range of agricultural enterprises, including grass-based livestock, organic vegetables, Community Supported Agriculture and specialty products.

Besides Minnesota and Wisconsin, Farm Beginnings classes have been held over the years in Illinois, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Duluth-Superior area. New Farm Beginnings courses will be launched this fall in South Dakota and the Hudson Valley of New York.

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PHOTOS AVAILABLE: For a digital photo of a Farm Beginnings graduate from your area, e-mail bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org, or call 612-722-6377.