| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 12, 2002 CONTACT: Birgit Hempel,(530) 752-8136, sfcenter@ucdavis.edu Small Farm Center offers scholarships to state farm conference Limited-resource and small-scale farmers are eligible for full and partial scholarships to the California Small Farm Conference in Ventura on Nov. 17-19, 2002. The University of California's Small Farm Center is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to award small-scale farmers the resources they need to attend this informative, practical conference. Farmers must meet three criteria to qualify for a scholarship to the conference. They must be 1) living in California; 2) a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; and, 3) a small-scale farmer (annual income under $250,000). The scholarship covers the cost of registration, lodging, lunches and dinners, and, if they live more than 50 miles from Ventura, mileage. The California Small Farm Conference offers seven workshop tracks on topics such as farm management, specialty crops, innovative marketing strategies, and organic and low-input production. Additional full- and half-day courses address value-added products, direct marketing, soil science, specialty animal enterprises, and drip irrigation in greater detail. Tours and visits offer a closer look at specialty crop production, farmers' markets, and on-farm conservation in the area. In addition, a spectacular tasting event highlights the food and wine of Ventura, Santa Barbara, Ojai, and vicinity. To apply for a conference scholarship, farmers must complete a brief application form and return it to their local UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisor before Oct. 15. For more information about the scholarships for small-scale farmers or to request an application, contact Birgit Hempel at the Small Farm Center at (530) 752-8136 or sfcenter@ucdavis.edu. To learn more about the conference, visit the Small Farm Center's Web site (http://sfc.ucdavis.edu) or the California Small Farm Conference Web site (www.californiafarmconference.com). Jeannette Warnert (559) 241-7514 http://danr.ucop.edu/news |