FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will hold a short course on small-scale farming May 3-4.

SHORT COURSE — Mike Popp, professor and agricultural economist, speaks to Center for Arkansas Farms and Food program participants. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The CAFF Small Farm Short Course titled “Grow Your Farm” provides an intensive two-day workshop with a deep dive into bed building, equipment and transplanting.

“We’ll also cover the basics of record keeping, profitability, branding and marketing,” said CAFF Program Director Heather Friedrich. “The course features both classroom and field study, so wear your work clothes. We’ll demo equipment and tour some local farms, too!”

The course will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and continue 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4. The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food is located at 1005 Meade Ave., Fayetteville.

The cost of the workshop is $100 thanks to a grant from Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and outreach program. Scholarships are also available. Lunch, refreshments and snacks will be provided. No experience is required, and the course is beginning-farmer-friendly, Friedrich noted. Guest speakers will include local farmers and technical experts.

The deadline to register is April 28 at NWAFarming.org.

This is the second CAFF Small Farm short course of 2024, with the first being held in February. The third and final short course of the year will be Oct. 18-19, focusing on crop planning and budgeting, soil health and equipment care.

CAFF supports local food entrepreneurs and increases small farm viability through experiential learning. Explore courses at LearnToFarm.org and follow on Instagram @caff_ar_farms. CAFF is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.