Fingerlakespermaculture mailing list

["Michael Burns" <michael AT fingerlakespermaculture.org>]

From:    "Violet Stone" <vws7 AT cornell.edu>

TOPIC: Spring 2012 Online Courses for Beginning Farmers Open for Registration!
DATE: For immediate release,  January 12th, 2012
CONTACT: Michelle Podolec at 607-255-9911 or
mls266 AT cornell.edu<mailto:mls266 AT cornell.edu>
ONLINE NEWSROOM:www.nebeginningfarmers.org<http://www.nebeginningfarmers.org/>

Spring 2012 Online Courses for Beginning Farmers Open for Registration!

Winter is a great time for planning for your small farm future or taking
courses to make your existing farm business even more successful.  This Spring
we'll be offering 4 online courses - including a new Machinery and Equipment
course - to help you continue your farming education.

As always, our courses are taught by experienced Cooperative Extension
educators, farmers, and other specialists. Courses run 5-8 weeks, cost $175,
and include both real-time meetings (online webinars) and on-your-own time
reading and activities. We do not offer any academic credit, but those who
successfully complete a course will receive a certificate and are also
eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrower training credit, which can
improve your eligibility to receive a low-interest FSA loan.

We have four greatspring 2012 online courses that will help you build your
farm business:


·BF 102: Markets and Profits - Exploring the Feasibility of Your Farming
Ideas<http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/bf-102-markets-profits/>
Have an idea for a farm enterprise but not sure if it’s feasible? This course
will get you started exploring the potential markets and profitability of your
ideas.  Starts January 19, 2012.

·BF 103: Taking Care of Business - Understanding the Business, Regulatory, and
Tax Implications of Your
Farm<http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/bf-103-business-side-of-farming>
(designed to follow BF 101) This is an intro-level course for aspiring or
beginning farmers living and/or farming in NYS and seeking to learn about the
commercial, legal and tax implications of farming. Starts March 2, 2012.


·BF 105: Machinery and Equipment - Evaluating What's Right for Your
Operation<http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-105-machinery-and-equipment/>
Many a farm operation has been sunk by "shiny equipment syndrome"; in other
words, purchasing too much brand new equipment. On the other end of the scale,
many new farmers have burned out their bodies by not adequately powering their
farms with machinery. This course will help you strike a happy balance,
evaluating what equipment you really need for your scale of operation, whether
to buy or make other arrangements, and how to keep your equipment running
smoothly if you do purchase it. Starts March 5, 2012.

·BF 122: Berry Production - Getting Started with Growing and
Marketing<http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-122-berry-production/>
If you're exploring the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to your
farm, this course will help you consider all the aspects of this decision,
from varieties and site selection all the way through profit potential and
marketing. Starts February 28, 2012

To learn more about each course, please visit
http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses. From this site you can visit our
Annual Course Calendar, learn more about our Instructors, see answers to
Frequently Asked Questions, read details for each course, and even visit a
sample online course.


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