Workshop Explains Federal Programs For Beginning Farmers, Ranchers
ST. JAMES, MO.
Openings remain for a free Oct. 18 workshop to help beginning farmers and ranchers, including military veterans, learn about resources offered by state and federal agencies. University of Missouri Extension sponsors the workshop.
“Understanding the ABCs of USDA Programs” for beginning farmers and ranchers will be held noon-3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Meramec Regional Planning Commission, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James, said Patricia Barrett, MU Extension county engagement specialist.
MU Extension specialists and USDA representatives will share “plain language” information about programs available through MU Extension, USDA and the Missouri AgrAbility Project.
Make reservations by Oct. 16 through MU Extension in Phelps County at 573-458-6260 or Barrett at barrettpr@missouri.edu.
MU Extension, to help military veterans and socially disadvantaged persons who want to farm, offers programs to increase agribusinesses and enterprise development. Participants attend a set of practical seminars and field days to learn from MU Extension specialists, farmers and agribusiness operators. More than 300,000 veterans are expected to return to their rural Missouri roots in the next decade. “Many of them will seek work in agriculture,” says MU Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch. ∆