Seth Swanson

Build a Successful, Sustainable Business: Workshops this Winter!

Looking to start a farm or ranch? Wondering how you can make your start-up successful? The Community Food & Agriculture Coalition is offering a series of workshops from January - March 2014 designed to help beginning farmers and ranchers the skills and resources needed to launch their own businesses in Montana. The Planning for On-Farm Success program is modeled after successful farmer training programs happening across the country and brings together expert farmers and ag professionals from across the state to help you build a sustainable, successful farm business!

These workshops will be offered on Saturdays (9am-1pm) on January 18, February 8, March 1, and March 22. Workshops will be offered in person at MSU Extension's Missoula office (2825 Santa Fe Ct) and will be offered live online for participants across the country.

For more info on topics, instructors, costs, and what you'll get out of it, click HERE.

To register, contact Annie Heuscher at annie@missoulacfac.org or 406-763-6862.

Many Thanks to our Partners: United States Department of Agriculture, MSU Extension, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center, Montana Community Development Corporation, Alternative Energy Resources Organization, Farm Service Agency, Western Montana Growers' Cooperative, Montana Department of Agriculture, and Montana Farmers' Union

Wow, 1996! Not sure I can speak to the differences between the course now and the course then. Through the current program I aim to help folks develop the tools necessary to make informative decisions regarding horticulture and plant production. The course focuses on a broad spectrum of topics to establish some of the fundamental principals and practices, and goes beyond the garden plot into other plant communities. It is meant for folks of all levels of experience, in a relaxed learning atmosphere. Regional tours and guest speakers from local experts will help to mix things up and supplement some of the information provided in class.

The level two program is new this year and is still in the works. This will be more of a formalized learning experience. Well, maybe not so much formal, but we will be delving into a series of topics throughout the course. This course is designed to build upon the principals established in the first course and tackle some more specified subject matter. This program is still being developed, but some of the topics we will investigate are: IPM, minimal input gardening, home composting and composting alternatives, principals of pruning, small and tree fruit production, advanced propagation, season extension, seed saving, and post harvest storage. Tours and activities will be important to applied learning focus of this section. More details will be available soon, but it should begin sometime in early June. Should be a good time.

The Missoula County Extension Master Gardener Level 1 program is designed to be a broad introduction to horticulture principals. This is meant to introduce new ideas and address topics to help gardeners and plant enthusiasts make informative decisions about plant production. This course is perfect for any beginning gardener, or a seasoned green thumb who is looking to refresh some ideas. This ten week course will cover topics such as:

• Basic botany
• Soil science
• Introduction to composting
• Plant propagation
• Plant pests and pathogens
• Native plants
• Herbaceous ornamentals
• Proper plant selection
• Vegetable production
• Weed management
• Plant diagnostics

In addition to guest speakers from local experts, we will have a number of tours of regional horticulture businesses to supplement the classroom lessons. The course will culminate with an optional exam at the end of April for those who are interested in receiving the Montana Master Gardener Certificate. This is shaping up to be another fun year!

Where:
Missoula County Extension Office
2825 Santa Fe Court
Missoula, MT 59808

When:
February 19th-April 30th 2013 (Tuesdays)
Morning session: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
or
Evening session: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM


The cost of the ten week Level 1 Master Gardener Program is $150. Registration fees includes the 5th Edition Montana Master Gardener Manual, 30 hours of class time, guest lectures by regional experts, tours of local horticulture businesses, plus a t-shirt and certificate upon completion. A $50 rebate is available upon completion of 20 hours of community volunteer commitment. A morning (9-12p) and evening (6-9p) session are available, so be sure to register for the section that suits you best.

For more information and to register call Seth at 258-4205 or click HERE.

By this time of year, many of us have indulged in foods based on family tradition or national heritage. What better time to learn about the foods and flavors naturally derived from the native plants of our region.

Rosalyn LaPier is an instructor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana. Rosalyn's current research is a historical study of the intersection between religion and traditional ecological knowledge of the Blackfeet tribe. Rosalyn will share her expertise and experiences with the traditional uses of our native plants.

This seminar series will be held Thursday January 24th from 6-8 pm. There is no cost, but please REGISTER so that we can be sure to accommodate everyone who is interested. Also, please bring a light snack to share. For additional information or questions email Seth Swanson (seth.swanson@montana.edu) or call 258-4205.

Gardening indoors: how to efficiently and economically produce greens in your home all winter long.

Winter is here and there is no sign of breaking ground in the garden for some time, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't grow your own food. Larry Neskey, the garden manager for the University of Montana Dining Services Garden has been growing microgreens for consumption in the Food Zoo; indoors, all winter. He's going to come by and share what he's been doing, and how you can do it at home too. Here is an interesting article about the nutritional value of microgreens from NPR.

There is no cost, but please register ONLINE so that we can be sure to accommodate everyone who is interested. Also, please bring a light snack to share. For additional information or questions email Seth Swanson (seth.swanson@montana.edu) or call 258-4205.

The Missoula County Extension will be hosting a series of speakers throughout the winter on various horticulture related topics. These will be informal evening sessions that will be free of charge and open to all.

To start it off this month, Emmett May will be joining us to share his experiences and expertise in growing giant pumpkins. Emmett has been given the moniker “Lord of the Gourd”; and rightfully so as this year he produced two award winning giant pumpkins. Emmett will spend an evening discussing the practices and techniques to grow an award winning giant pumpkin, and may even share some of his prized seeds.

Join us on Thursday November 29th, from 6-8 pm at the Missoula County Extension office for this great event. Again there is no charge, but please register online here: http://missoulaeduplace.org/component/com_eventbooking/Itemid,1015/view,category/. There is limited space, so tell a friend and sign up soon. Hope to see you all there, and stay tuned for more events coming up.