Feb 2, 2015

Cornell offers online course on vegetable production

The Cornell Small Farms Program is hosting a five-week online course called BF 121: Vegetable Production II, which starts Feb. 18.

Anyone can take the course, whether they've taken part I or not. It's targeted to aspiring and relatively new vegetable growers and will present an overview of topics and resources on integrated pest management (including organic and conventional approaches), pest ID, weed control strategies, fertility options and harvest and handling of crops. Participants who complete all requirements of one or more online courses are eligible to be endorsed for a 0 percent interest loan of up to $10,000 through Kiva Zip.

The online course runs from Feb. 18 through March 18, with Wednesday night webinars from 7-8:30 p.m. EDT. If you aren't able to attend in real time, webinars are always recorded and posted for later viewing.

All courses consist of weekly real-time webinars followed by homework, readings and discussions on your own time in an online setting. Each course is $200, but up to four people from the same farm may participate without paying extra. See the course description page for more on the learning objectives, instructors and outline.