By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source:
Wayne Odegaard (352) 754-4433
BROOKSVILLE—The 1999 Florida Small Farm Day will be held at the Hernando County Fairgrounds in Brooksville on Oct. 30. Small farm owners and those interested in starting a small farm are invited to attend the free program, which begins at 8:30 a.m.
Theme for the statewide event will be “Opportunities at Your Scale,” according to Wayne Odegaard, Hernando County extension director with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and program coordinator.
“Like our highly successful 1998 event, this year’s program will include demonstrations and other practical information of interest to small and part-time farmers,” he said. “Demonstration topics will range from raising goats, beef cattle and tropical fish to hydroponic gardening, smoking meat, fencing, beekeeping, blueberry production, pasture poultry and more.”
Keynote speaker Elaine Shirley, manager of rare breeds at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia, will discuss saving rare breeds of livestock from extinction. She will talk about her efforts to protect nearly 100 breeds of cattle, goats, horses, asses, sheep, swine and poultry from extinction and why these breeds are a vital genetic resource.
Odegaard said those attending the farm day event will have an opportunity to see the latest in small farm supplies and talk with company and UF/IFAS extension specialists. Last year, 45 trade show vendors participated, and this year’s show should be larger and more diverse, he said.
In addition to rare animals, the program will have a Pygmy goat display and events such as a hay ride and petting zoo for youngsters.
“It will be an event for the whole family, providing a great opportunity to visit one-on-one with other small farmers from around the state,” Odegaard said.
The 1999 Small Farm Day is being sponsored by the UF/IFAS extension service in cooperation with Florida A&M University, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Florida Farm Bureau. Local county extension offices have more information, or visit the Small Farm Day Web site: http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~F2F/
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