2008 Year in Review

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Putting Small Acres to Work

We’ve seen quite a few owners of small acreages that have found themselves wondering how they might derive some kind of income from those acres. This trend isn’t new, but is steadily growing. It’s not confined to Quincy, but can be found throughout the entire tri-state area. A common question to many Extension offices is: now that I’ve purchased this acreage, what can I do with it? And it’s not only the small acreage owners wanting to find additional income opportunities. Larger producers are also inquiring about additional income producing activities.

For this reason, we’ve developed a program we’re calling “Putting Small Acres to Work.” The program is essentially a primer on income producing opportunities available for small acreages. Topics for this program will include: Hoophouses for vegetable and fruit growers; Culinary herbs; Timber; Poultry for the backyard; Beekeeping; Marketing yourself and your product; Legal issues of rural living; Assessing your values; and Goats to milk. We’ll have three breakout sessions, with each topic presented once, so you’ll get an opportunity to listen to three of the breakout sessions (you may want to bring your partner along to allow more information to be learned). We’ll also have a farmer panel during dinner that will discuss marketing/business plans and their greatest challenges and successes—along with biggest mistakes.

At the conclusion of the program, we will gather the entire group together for a presentation on “Resources for Small Farmers.” All the speakers for the evening are producers or specialists who are practicing the craft that they will speak on.

The program will be offered at the Adams County Farm Bureau, on Thursday evening, Feb. 7, from 5-9 p.m. The cost is $30 per person, which includes an evening meal. The program is sponsored by University of Illinois and Missouri Extension and WISAS.

To register, contact U of I Extension, Adams-Brown Unit prior to Feb. 4 at (217)223-8380.

by Editor, theCity1.com
January 7, 2008