Berry Production (BF 122)
Getting Started with Production and Marketing
If you’re exploring the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to your farm, this course will help you consider all the aspects of this decision, from varieties and site selection all the way through profit potential and marketing.
Target Audience
This course will be especially helpful to those folks that are exploring the possibilities of growing berries for income – be it supplemental or for their livelihood. The material presented will assume little past knowledge of farming, but a background in gardening will be very helpful. Additionally, because the pest complex, production systems and appropriate cultivars vary so much from region to region, this course targets farmers in the Northeastern United States.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will understand:
- Primary considerations when choosing a site for successful berry farming
- Basic cultural demands of the 3 major berry crops (strawberry, blueberry and brambles)
- Cultural requirements of an array of lesser known berry crops
- Pest complexes of the major berry crops
- Post-harvest requirements of berries
- Considerations for successful marketing of berry crops
- How to analyze costs vs. expenses and be able to incorporate them into a business plan
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions, readings, and assignments in MOODLE, our virtual classroom. To add to the experience, 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, ask questions, and collaborate with other participants and the instructor to address your farm issues in real time. If you miss a webinar, they are always recorded and posted for later viewing. Course will run again in winter 2013.
Qualifying for Loans
If you are considering applying for a low-interest beginning farmer loan though the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), completing this course may help you qualify, if you meet other eligibility requirements. For farmers in NY who have already applied for an FSA loan and been told they need borrower training credit, all of our courses are pre-approved to provide you with this credit, if you complete all course requirements. For more information, visit the FSA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Loans website.
Instructors
Crystal Stewart and Laura McDermott are Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators serving as regional fruit and vegetable specialists for the Capital District Fruit and Vegetable Team in NY.
Dates
This course runs for 6 weeks beginning in Feb. 2013; specific dates TBA.
Course Outline
- Week 1: Site Selection – Understand how to evaluate the quality of your soil using several different physical and chemical tests. Learn to evaluate the market potential of a site. Learn how to identify suitable irrigation sources.
- Week 2: Business Planning and Marketing: Understand the financial underpinnings of a farm business. Learn how to estimate costs of inputs and find the expected revenues from many different berry crops and market avenues.
- Week 3: Strawberries – cultural systems of strawberries; recommended varieties; pest management.
- Week 4: Blueberries – cultural systems of blueberries; recommended varieties; pest management.
- Week 5: Raspberries and Blackberries – cultural systems of bramble crops; recommended varieties; pest management.
- Week 6: Lesser known berry crops and post-harvest considerations – many minor berry crops will be covered. Post-harvest requirements will also be summarized.
Cost and Registration
