UTICA, N.Y. — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County is looking for aspiring urban farmers facing small-business start-up barriers, as well as, residents who want to learn more about growing fresh foods in urban areas. Interested individuals should register now for ‘Vegetable Farming in Urban Settings.’ This free, grant funded, hands-on workshop series, is the second summer session offered by the Urban Farm Learning Lab in the REA wing of Utica’s Union Railway Station. The sessions run six weeks starting Wednesday, June 1st, from 5:30-7:00 PM.
The program will help food growers learn about and manage: risks in production, market development for product sales, business/financial planning due to lack of experience, growing space, access to funding, and other resources. Individuals will learn and work in teams to cultivate and harvest an indoor mini-farm directly adjacent to the Oneida County Public Market.
Through grant funding received from the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center (NERME) and a facility use partnership with Oneida County, the Urban Farm Learning Lab was established in 2021 to offer two years of free public programming. The Year 2 summer session will be open to 25 participants, with 15 slots reserved for residents from urban areas such as Utica and Rome. The remaining registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis from residents in other areas. Sessions in subsequent seasons may require a registration fee.
For more information visit: http://cceoneida.com/events and look for June 1st. You can Register at https://pub.cce.cornell.edu/event_registration/main/events_landing.cfm?event=OCLearningLab-2_230 or for additional information contact Maryellen Wiley at 315-736-3394 ext. 177, email: mfw73@cornell.edu.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County