CT NOFA Online Learning: Year Round Green House Production

Sept. 11, 2021, 10:00 am-12 PM CT NOFA Online Learning: Year Round Greenhouse Production, $25- $35

Hosted by NOFA New Jersey, this virtual webinar is all about producing food year-round, in a greenhouse.

A century ago New Jersey greenhouses produced vegetables all winter long, with manure hotbeds, forcing of blanched shoots, and other techniques. Today gardeners and farmers are re-learning how to produce food all winter with little or no heating required. This workshop will cover insulated bioshelters, winter vegetables in unheated greenhouses, growing subtropical and warm-temperate fruits like pomegranates, citrus, and more. Eric Toensmeier will be teaching this virtual class. Get ready for Winter with NOFA-NJ! Saturday, September 11 from 10 AM-Noon.

Click here to register.

Connecticut Virtual Farmer Veteran Meet and Green, June 30

Register at https://ctrcd.org/agriculture/farmup/

Virtual Farm Field Day July 15, 2021, 6 PM Establishing a Chestnut Agroforestry, by CT Resource Conservation and Development

About this event

Thinking about diversifying your farm? Considering how to incorporate tree crops using agroforestry?

Tree crops such as chestnut and hazelnut in CT are becoming a source of additional farm income and an opportunity to diversify crops and use spaces that aren’t suited to tillage or other activity.

Come learn about establishing chestnut agroforestry from farmers, agricultural, and NRCS service providers. We’ll walk though the process of assessing the property for potential tree crops and agroforestry uses. Look at the steps to establish and maintain the perennial tree crop planting at Adamah Farm which recently planted chestnuts as part of an initial phase of farm expansion. We’ll go through the process in this webinar, hear about lessons learned, and how the newly planted trees are part of the farm’s bigger plan. Hear how farms in Connecticut can get started in improving farm diversity and expand into agroforestry.

This event is FREE. However, donations are welcome in order to support the continued work of the CT Soil Health Initiative.

Click here to register.

Tour Des Farms 2021 registration opens June 1, 2021

2021 TOUR DES FARMS STARTS JUNE 1
Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development’s (CT RC&D) annual Tour des Farms (bicycle, motorcycle or car) ride is returning statewide! On Tuesday, June 1, registration will open for participants to access eight regional routes to farms all around the state.

As a program, Tour des Farms aims to move around Connecticut, ensuring diverse regional agriculture promotion. In 2019, CT RC&D held an in-person ride in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner, and for the ride’s reemergence in 2018, participants biked farms throughout the Litchfield Hills.

Adapting to social distancing guidelines, Tour des Farms pivoted for 2020. As part of the new approach to their annual ride, CT RC&D now hosts a summer-long statewide Tour des Farms event for riders to enjoy at their own pace and schedule. The event includes eight regional routes, each featuring 6-10 farms throughout the state. That’s over 75 farms getting direct support from their communities!

Registration opens June 1 at https://ctrcd.org/tourdesfarms/ and will close on October 1. A $20 registration fee includes access to 8 regional routes and the accompanying Ride with GPS Event Maps with printable cue sheets, a customizable riding bib, a TDF Farm Passport, and the chance to win exciting prizes for completed and returned TDF Passports. Riders are also welcome to offer an additional donation, as 50% of the profit generated for the event will be going toward purchasing farm products which will be donated directly to food security initiatives in the state.

May-June, 2021, 6:30 to 7:30 pm Webinar Series: Connecticut Farmland Trust staff and guest experts will be offering a weekly series to share knowledge and learn from mid-May through mid-June. This series will help land stewards gain what they need about farmland preservation and also elevate how we think about land trusts. You can meet guests who will answer the questions, How does farmland preservation work? and What else can a land trust do in addition to protecting land?

Sessions will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on their specified date. There is no cost to attend, but donations to support the work are welcome.

May 13: Farmland Conservation 101, featuring CFT’s Executive Director Elisabeth Moore

May 20: Meet n Greet Farmers Who Preserved Their Land, featuring three CT farmers

May 27: Understanding Soils: A Key to Stewardship, Land Health, and Climate Resiliency, featuring Conservation Scientist Kip Kolesinskas

June 10: Public Act 490 Overview and Q & A, featuring Joan Nichols, Connecticut Farm Bureau Association’s Executive Director

June 17: How Land Trusts Can Support Food Access, featuring Connie Manes, Executive Director to Kent Land Trust

When you register for the event you can submit questions ahead of time, or submit a question during the talk. Each webinar has a different Zoom link.

To sign up for one of these webinars, visit Connecticut Farmland Trust’s events page: http://ctfarmland.org/site/events/. If you want to register for all five of the “Ask an Expert” webinars at once, email outreach@ctfarmland.org with the subject line “All Webinar Registration” and you will be sent your personal Zoom links and codes.