To share ideas for classes which you would like to have locally,
please contact
growkingston@centurytel.net .
We also recommend the Washington State University and Oregon State University extension service web sites
(links are on our main page), which tend to provide information relevant to our geographic area.
Cost: $15 for Tilth Producers members, students and interns. $25 for non-members
Paid pre-registration is recommended for all farm walks.
Pre-register online at www.tilthproducers.org or mail a check with your farm walk choices to:
Tilth Producers
4649 Sunnyside Avenue N #305
Seattle, WA 98103
Click on your topic of interest (Agriculture-Plants, Agriculture-Animals, Gardening-General-Organic Gardening, and LOTS more) and drill down to lists of on-line courses (some for certification), publications, web sites, referrals, etc.
"Due to limited space for classes, we request that you call 360-779-3806 to reserve your spot. If your name is on the list, you will have priority over "walk-ins". If at the last minute you wish to come to the class, just give us a call and we can let you know how full the class is."
Includes Sustainable Small Farming & Ranching in Jefferson County, and Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Kitsap and Mason Counties.
Instructor contacts are provided, and you need to contact them for more info.
The third Thursday of each month, 12:30 to 1:45 in WA State
Excellent information and advice on multiple farming-oriented topics,
primarily dealing with the business end.
Archived presentations go back to 2009.
This link is to Antioch University's list of classes.
Quillisascut Farm Training Classes
Quillisascut is in Rice, WA, in the very northeast corner of Washington State.
The offerings are often 5 days in length, so make it a family holiday!
http://quillisascut.com/farm-school/
The farm is located in Venersborg, in southwest Washington State.
Deep chicken bedding: fir cuttings better than fir chips
Monica of At Wits End Homestead in Victor, Montana (a bit south of
Missoula) talks about her deep bedding system for her chickens. Her
chicken coop uses chopped up used christmas trees.
She also talks about her experiments with deep bedding. Originally she
used leaves and then she tried wood shavings/chips. But she found she
was having to put down more every few days.
With the chopped up christmas trees, she was adding more just once
every month or so.
Deep bedding is where you throw more bedding down all winter long
without mucking out the coop. Then you muck out the coop once a year.
She also shows off using buckets for nesting and how this helps with
mite control.
On planting native plants. "There are people out there that are as passionate about
healing the earth as we are, and I would very much like to see them work with us rather than against us."
"The Tax Relief Act of 2010 has a number of changes to the tax code important to agricultural producers.
In the Ag in Uncertain Times webinasr, we discussed the key changes in the new Tax Law
and how they affect agricultural producers. Many of the changes will have a direct impact on depreciation
and expensing options available to businesses. The discussions are useful for all sizes and types
of farms and ranches."
Webinars are archived as video, MP3 audio, and SWF files on the Ag in Uncertain Times web site.
WSU Kitsap County Extension Program Classes
are listed at http://kitsap.wsu.edu/ You can also get on the Master Gardener's waiting list from this site.
(locally headquartered in Port Townsend) offers classes and links you to more.
They also offer on-line publications and research results.
Check out their offerings at http://www.seedalliance.org/Events/
The Department of Revenue (DOR) has created a site just for farmers and agricultural business (http://dor.wa.gov/farmers). The intent is to have one location where farmers can go for updated information on taxes, incentives, rules and other changes that affect them. DOR has been making a real effort to make information easily available to taxpayers, and this is one example.
This really isn't a "class site" per se, but the information is valuable if you are running your farm as a business.