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Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, community involvement, and disease and injury prevention.

Meet the Buyers Event for Local Farmers

Farmers throughout Missouri and Illinois are invited to attend a Meet the Buyers event to meet local and regional food buyers. The event will take place March 3, 2015, at the St. Louis University campus in the Il Monastero Building, 3050 Olive Boulevard, St. Louis, Mo., from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

The event is a unique opportunity for farmers to meet with buyers one-on-one and learn what it takes to do business with the grocery and food service industries in the area. Extension representatives will present introductory information about two programs, MarketReady and Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs). Market Ready is a program designed to teach best commercial business practices between growers and various retail markets. GAPs are a set of recommendations that can help improve the quality and safety of the produce grown.

Representatives from a foodservice distributor, grocery retailer and school foodservice management company also will be on hand to share information on how those specific industries work and how farmers can tap into them. Rusty Lee, owner, Lee Farms, LLC, will demonstrate to farmers how to sort, grade and pack a produce box and how to distribute on a small scale.

Registration for the event is $15 and includes all event materials, a buffet lunch featuring several local and regional foods, and breaks. Due to limited seating, registration is first come, first served. Registration must be completed by Feb. 25, 2015. To register online, visit http://www.ilfb.org/ifb-news-and-events/conferences-events/meet-the-farmers,-meet-the-buyers.aspx. If registrants encounter problems paying online, please contact Charlene Blary at [email protected] to make special arrangements.

A limited number of AgriMissouri scholarships are available for AgriMissouri members to attend this event. Contact Catherine Bohnert at (573) 522-9213 or [email protected] for details. Registrations must be confirmed by February 25th to be eligible.

The following organizations are partnering to support the one-day event: Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Department of Agriculture, University of Missouri Extension, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Specialty Growers Association, Illinois Department of Agriculture and University of Illinois Extension.

 

 

Prep Work for Pesticide Workshop

Tuesday, February 10th will be the Environmentally Sound and Effective Pesticide Use workshop from 6-8 PM. If you plan on attending, please follow the directions below:

Dr. Lee Eavy has requested that you send the following to him by Friday, February 6th:

  1. list of all treatments that you are using on your garden and plants for protection.
  2. name of the product, formulation, and manufacturer; sending the label would be perfect since Dr. Eavy will be providing MSDS sheets.
  3. types and varieties of crops you’re planning to grow.
  4. send these directly to Dr. Eavy at [email protected].

Grow Your Farm

Have you been thinking about making your hobby vegetable garden into a part-time business?  Are you considering raising goats?  Or perhaps you are a full time farmer and want to add a pumpkin enterprise to your corn and soybean operation.  If you ever thought about starting a farming operation, then the Grow Your Farm Program is for you.  The Grow Your Farm program will connect you with successful farm operators and business experts.  The program will be offered at the University of Missouri office, 301 3rd St, Hillsboro, starting at6:30 pm on January 20th and running on eight consecutive Tuesdays.  The course also includes two Saturday farm tours in the area.

Grow Your Farm is a business planning course.  Most sessions will focus on business planning and the process of selecting enterprises that can be profitable, based on an individual’s resources and skills.  Most sessions will have farmer presenters that will share their experiences, challenges, and successes.  Some of the presenters’ operations include selling produce, eggs, meat, flowers, registered beef cattle, goats, peppers, pork, chicken, bedding plants, small fruits, organic production, and value added products.  An emphasis will be placed on marketing, with presentations by successful farm marketers.

Class size will be limited to 15 operations with two members from each farming operation.   The registration fee is $250 and provides each operation with one set of course materials. Registration must be received by January 16th and is on a first come, first served basis.  The Grow Your Farm Course is for everyone, both those beginning or considering a farming enterprise as well as established farmers that are considering changing their operations.  It is applicable to small part time farms and to larger commercial farms.

For more information about program contact Debi Kelly, Horticulture/Local Foods Specialist, at 636-797-5391. You can also find the program brochure with the registration form at the Jefferson County Extension Center.

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Contact

[email protected]

Mailing Address

520 N. Main Rd.
DeSoto, MO 63020