To avoid disappointment, pleae be certain to call ahead before attending any of the events listed below. Changes can -- and do -- happen. Many of the events require pre-registration, and for some there is a registration charge.

April 21, 2008, Concord, MA
Organic Apples: Focusing Tree Energy with John Bemis at Hutchin's Farm. With 30 years of apple tree management experience, John will show us how to guide the trees growth and help produce fruit. We will walk the orchard and learn about girdling and pruning to control excessive growth. For more info, see: http://www.nofamass.org/programs/skills.php

April 23, 2008, Internet Course
How to Set Up and Manage a Local Food Purchasing Program. Buying, preparing, and eating locally grown food has positive effects on students, the campus, the environment, and the surrounding community. Local food purchasing is also an important part of creating a campus with a sustainable future, and dining services administrators can lead the way in campus sustainability by introducing locally grown foods into their services. Join us and learn what it takes to start a local food purchasing program.This web conference is aimed at institutions exploring local food purchasing or looking to expand their current local and sustainability initiatives. Directors of dining, dining services managers, purchasing managers, auxiliary service directors, and sustainability coordinators will benefit from attending this event. For more information, call 720.488.6800.

April 24, Montpelier, VT
Web Design Workshop Series at the Vermont Women's Business Center. Thursdays, 6-9 pm, April 24-May 15. $120 Learn basic web design skills, including creating, organizing and linking web pages, and managing document properties such as lists, tables, fonts, colors, and graphics; Enhance web pages with text, color, lines, and images; Plan a website, develop page content and design; Create and format tables, modify table properties; Insert images and modify image properties; Organize multiple web pages and insert hyperlinks; Create style sheets to control page design and layout. Perequisite: Must have basic compue skills.
Text Book Required: Dreamweaver MX 2004: Basic. (ISBN 0-619-20397-8) You are responsible for purchasing the book prior to the first class.

April 25, 2008, Chestnut Ridge, NY
Organic Beekeeping Workshop. Sign up early for this popular workshop with a leading expert in holistic beekeeping methods. We will look at the bee colony as an organism and what it needs in order to further its health and vitality. Lots of practical advice and demonstrations will give novices enough information to get started with their own hive, and encourage experienced beekeepers to adopt organic procedures. Cost: $185 (with beginners' session, $225), For more information contact Carol Rosenberg at 845-352-5020 x20, info@pfeiffercenter.org, http://www.pfeiffercenter.org

April 26, Marlboro, VT
Spring Dairy Goat Education Day. The Southern Vermont Dairy Goat Association announces a Spring Educational Day for new goat enthusiasts. Topics will include: The ABCs of Goat Keeping, Showing Your Goat, Introduction to Goat Cheese Making, Goat Health including demos on hoof trimming and horn disbudding. Cost is $25/person for non-members, $12.50 for SVDGA members. Lunch is included. For more information, visit http://www.vtgoats.org or Steve Thomas, sjt4363@aol.com

April 26, Randolph, VT
Where's the Vermont Beef: Colloquium to Explore Innovations in Farmer and Chef Partnerships Related to Beef Sales and Utilization. 10-2, free, but pre-registration required. Join Vermont beef farmers, processors, chefs, food service/retail purchasers, distributors, and other interested parties in a discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing the Vermont beef industry. Producing beef animals in Vermont makes logical sense, but why is it so difficult and what do we need to do to remove the barriers to retail and wholesale markets? Three diverse panels will lead the discussions. First, several beef producers and processors will share their views on the issues affecting the Vermont beef industry. Then a diverse panel of chefs, food service and retail managers will address ways the current beef industry standards and challenges affect their businesses. Finally, a number of beef producers and chefs will explore the opportunities and diffi culties of whole animal purchasing and utilization.For more information contact Kim Cleary, (802) 434-2000, kim@vermontfresh.net, www.vermontfresh.net.

April 26 & 27, Unity Maine
Farm Tractor Workshop: Safety, Operation & Maintenance. Presented by Shane J. LaBrake, Agricultural Consultant, Accokeek, MD, this is a two-day, hands-on workshop that de-mystifi es tractors and empowers their users to operate and maintain their machines more safely, and with greater skill and confi dence. CONTACT: MOFGA offi ce, (207) 568-4142, www.mofga.org.

April 29, S. Woodbury, VT
Spring Wildflower Herb Walk. For more information contact Annie McCleary at 802-456-8122 or email annie@wisdomofherbsschool.com

April 30, Durham, NH
Sustainability and Profitability of Organic Dairy Farming, at the Univeristy of New Hampshire Organic Dairy Farm. For more information visit www.organicdairy.unh.edu or call 603-862-3757.

April 30, White River Junction, VT
Get the Dirt on Soil Workshop. Linda Schneider@vt.nacdnet.net or 802-295-7942x11.

May 1, Montpelier, VT
Vermont Farm Health Task Force Meeting. For more information, contact Marc Comtois at 802-229-0002 x219 or email mcomtois@bistatepca.org.

May 2-4, Warren, VT
Yestermorrow Biofuels Class. 888.496-5540 or www.yestermorrow.org.

May 2-4, 16-18, & 23-25, Aug. 15-17, Sept. 19-21 & 26-28; and Oct 3-5 & 10-12, Warren, VT
Three Shepherds Farm 2008 Cheesemaking Courses. Designed for those who have a serious interest in the world of cheese, from those who are pursuing cheesemaking either as a career or as a hobby, to those who love cheese and want to learn more about it in a beautiful location. The courses are unique in that they emphasize a hands-on approach with individual instruction. Over the three-days, we make 6 different cheeses using a variety of milks. We discuss and experience all aspects of cheesemaking including raw milk, fresh, soft, and hard cheeses, salting and brining of cheese, aging of cheeses, marketing and selling of cheese, cheese appreciation, pairing cheese and wine, and much more. To register, please call or e-mail. The class fee is $500.00 , a $150.00 non-refundable deposit will confirm your place, and class sizes are limited to 10 students, so spaces fill quickly. For information on accommodations in our area please visit www.madrivervalley.com for a list and description of local inns and B&Bs (make sure you mention that you are taking the cheese class, many places offer deals).  Tel: 802-496-3998 or http://www.threshepherdscheese.com

May 3, Monmouth, ME
Commercial Vegetable and Berry Farming: Getting Started in Maine. Topic include Farm Business Planning, Vegetable Crop Overview, Soil Health, Berry Crop Overview, Equipment and Marketing Basics. 8:45 AM - 4:30 PM, Highmoor Farm, sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. For more information contact: www.umext.maine.edu/topics/highmoor.htm

May 3, Craftsbury, VT
Draft Horse Driving. For more information, call Heidi Wilson at 802-586-771 or hwilson@sterlingcollege.edu

May 3, Granfton, VT
Beginner/Intermediate Sheep Shearing Class. The University of Vermont Extension, in cooperation the Windham Foundation and Shelburne Farms, is sponsoring a beginner/intermediate sheep shearing class at the Windham Foundation in Grafton, VT. Please indicate on the registration which class you would like to attend. Registration fee for the course is $100 per person. If you would like to come for the lectures and observe, the fee is $35. More detailed instructions will be sent upon receipt of your registration. Contact: 802-524-6501, Elaine at ext. 201 or Chet at ext. 212.

May 3-4, Harrisville, NH
Wellscroft Fence Systems Fence Building Clinics. For more information call 603-827-3464 or visit http://www.wellscroft.com/fence/pagesGeneral/maFenceClinic.html

May 4, Elmore VT
The Successful Planting Method: Organic Tree and Shrub Planting at Elmore Roots. Call 802-888-3305 or email fruitpal@elmoreroots.com for more information.

May 10-11, Contoocook, NH
New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival. Come see our many vendors selling fleece, yarn, roving, fencing and farm supplies, crafts, wool, natural fiber clothing, blankets, buttons and more. Border collie and livestock events. For more information, see www.yankeeshepherd.org Contact: Nadine Chounet, 603-744-3851, tinyfarm@metrocast.net

May 10, South Woodbury, VT
Wisdom of the Herbs School Wild Edible Feast. For more information contact Annie McCleary at 802-456-8122 or email annie@wisdomofherbsschool.com

May 19 through June 5, Burlington, VT
Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese Courses: May 19, Advanced Sensory Evaluation; May 20, Cheese & Culture; May 21, Cheese Defects; May 22, Risk Reduction Practices for Cheesemakers; June 2-3, Cheese Chemistry; Starter Cultures; June 5, Basic Sensory Evaluation; For more information, please visit http://www.uvm.edu/viac.

May 20, Voorheesville, NY.
Carbon Trading: Market Opportunities for Agriculture Workshop. 8:30 am - 5:30 pm. The objective of the workshop is to give agricultural educators a basic understanding of the complexities of carbon trading, while providing them with a set of tools to educate farmers and landowners about carbon trading. The free workshop will explore the development and current status of the very complex and still changing carbon trading market. Carbon trading is a method to reduce global carbon emissions by allowing market mechanisms to find the most cost effective way to reduce emissions from a variety of sources. The workshop is being presented by Central New York Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. (CNY RC&D),with funding from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NESARE). The workshop will be held at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County office in Voorheesville, NY. It will also be broadcast to three remote sites: Penn State Cooperative Extension Westmoreland County, Greensburg, PA, Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center, University of Delaware, Georgetown, DE, and the University of New Hampshire Merrimack County Cooperative Extension in Boscawen, NH. Register for any of the four sites at http://agcarbontrading.org

August 7, Location TBD
From the Ground Up: Workshop for Beginning Farmers. Beth Holtzman, 802-223-2389x15 or wagn@uvm.edu.

August 8, Amherst, MA
NOFA Summer Conference. www.nofamass.org.

August, Various Locations
Small Ruminant Parasite, FAMACHA and Lamb Grading Classes. Chet Parsons, UVM Livestock Specialist, is planning on holding Parasite and FAMACHA classes on Aug 15 at Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, VT, Aug 22 at Windham Foundation in Grafton, VT and Aug 29 at the Cope Farm in Bath, NH. Attendee numbers will be limited. Also he plans to have a live lamb grading at Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, VT on Aug 20 and at Ed Jackson's in McIndoe Falls, VT on Aug 27, 2008. Contact Chet Parsons, chester.parsons@uvm.edu, 802-524-6501 X212.

September 26-28, 2008, Tunbridge, VT
Northeast Animal Power Field Days. Working animal and equipment demonstrations in field and forest settings (Friday), workshops xhibits, presentations, and networking sessions (Friday-Sunday), evening entertainment and an auction and swap/meet on Sunday. For more information visit: www.animalpowerfielddays.org www.animalpowerfielddays.org

March 6-8, 2009, Essex Vermont
Vermont Flower Show. More details to come.

September 19-20, 2009, Springfield, IL
5th National Small Farm Conference. For additional information contact: Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant University of Illinois Extension e-mail:cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu or visit www.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm

WAgN
Women's Agricultural Network
617 Comstock Road, Suite 5
Berlin, VT  05602
(802) 223-2389 x13
866-860-1382 (tollfree)
or wagn@uvm.edu

University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, notional orgin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.