From Planning to Planting
This course helps new and aspiring vegetable producers answer basic questions about site, soil and planning up through planting. Topics covered include soil health, crop layout and rotation, equipment, and financial aspects of vegetable production. Don’t
miss
BF 121: Vegetable Production II, the continuation of this course, which takes you through the growing season from planting to harvest.
Target Audience
Beginning to Intermediate: This
course is for aspiring farmers planning farm start-up within the next
year, or those with 1-3 growing seasons of vegetable farming expe
rience. Climate, soils, production systems, and appropriate varieties vary a lot from region to region, and this course mostly presents information relevant to farmers in the Northeastern United States.
Farmers outside the region are welcome to register, but should do so
knowing that some of the information presented may not be appropriate
for their region.
Course Objectives
At the end of this course, you will:
- Know the characteristics of a viable site for commercial vegetable crop production
- Be able to articulate why soil quality, crop planning and proper pre-plant preparation are critical to success
- Know where to go to find reliable, fact based resource material on topics related to vegetable farming
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and non-graded review quizzes in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, live webinars will be woven into the online interface of the course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from outside presenters and ask questions to address your farm issues in real time. If you miss one, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
Live instruction for 2024 has concluded. You are welcome to enroll now to complete this course on a self-paced schedule and join our next live session in Fall 2025. All webinars are recorded and posted in your online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely and may return to participate in future live offerings of the course as well. Please join us!
Your Instructor
Rich Woodbridge is the co-owner and operator of McCollum Orchards & Gardens, a diversified fruit, vegetable and flower farm in the city of Lockport, NY that has been family owned since 1827. He is also the Agricultural Business Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County. Rich developed and runs their Beginning Farmer Training Program, a popular hands-on training program to help beginning and aspiring farmers achieve their farming goals. He currently serves as a regional navigator for Farmland for a New Generation through American Farmland Trust.
Student Testimonials
"I really had no idea about the strategies
and considerations when planning beds for a farm. My big takeaways are
beginning to understand all of the considerations and are really
prompting further reflection on what my goals are and has me thinking
more strategically about the space that I have available for planting.
So grateful for this course!"
"The biggest thing I appreciated about your course was the vast amount of
resources and topics covered. The many farming things that are obvious
to you with your years of experience are unknown to me, and you
presented all the information very well at my level. I am new to farming
and I need to know what I don't know, and you taught me there's a
lot... I know there is much more to learn in the future, but I feel much
better prepared to farm after taking your course."
"This class has shown me how to take what I want to accomplish and
has given me a starting point and the steps I need to take to reach my
end goals. This class has been full of great resources."
"I’ve been growing on decent scale for a few years now, but have never tried cover crops. They felt intimidating. You broke them down very nicely and I’m looking forward to intentionally planning them into our growing rotation."
"I plan to follow up on your wonderful class by attending Vegetable Production II to give me more ideas and strategies."