815-561-8255 Request Line

Events

Putting Small Acres to Work iCal

Saturday, December 6 2014 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Do you have a few extra acres you’d like to put to good use? Whether it’s an old farmstead, a fallow green space, or a great big yard you’d rather not mow, you probably have some ideas about what it could become. “How to get started is the question,” said Andy Larson, local foods and small farms educator for University of Illinois Extension in Boone, DeKalb, and Ogle counties. “That’s why our Local Food Systems and Small Farms Extension team is hosting workshops around the state called Putting Small Acres to Work.”

“Putting a few extra acres into plant or animal production can start a new interest or hobby, or it can be the first step towards a new farm business,” added Grant McCarty, local foods and small farms educator in JoDaviess, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties. “Either way, we want to help folks start off on the right foot, pursuing both sustainability and productivity.”

Putting Small Acres to Work will take place Saturday, December 6th, at the NIU Rockford Meeting and Conference Center located at 8500 E. State St., just one mile east of I-90. The registration desk will open at 8:00am, and the program will last from 9:00am to 4:00pm. There will be general sessions on building soil health and choosing scale-appropriate equipment, as well as numerous breakout sessions on both plant and animal topics, including perennial vegetables, berry fruits, root cellars, season extension, chickens, hogs, beekeeping, and grazing. Outreach professionals from both Illinois and Wisconsin will provide the expertise.

“You don’t have to own hundreds of acres to create a profitable business,” said Connie Echaiz, local foods and small farms educator in Lake and McHenry counties. “We developed these workshops to help people realize the possibilities that a few acres can provide.”

Contact University of Illinois Extension-Boone County at 815-544-3710 for more information or to register. The program fee is $40 per person, which includes all program materials and lunch. Please register by Monday, December 1st to guarantee a space and a meal.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact the Boone County Extension office at 815-544-3710.

For more information:
Judy Hodge
(815) 544-3710
March 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
 
 

Download the App Today!

Download the Apple app today
Download the Google Play app today
Closings and Cancellations
Copyright © 2024 Superhits 93.5. All Rights Reserved.
Public File
FCC Applications
Site by RiverBender.com