Whether you are just trying to keep your livestock going through the cold winter or planning what to plant for the next crop-growing season, I hope you will join us for the remaining two nights of this year’s annual Clark County Extension Winter School.

Winter School is a program conducted through the Clark County Extension Agriculture Advisory Council and funded thanks to many generous community sponsors.

Beef Night was Tuesday night, but there are still two remaining sessions.

Thursday is horticulture night. We will feature the outcomes of our summer tomato fungicide trial that focused on farmers market-scale production, discuss considerations for becoming a commercial vegetable producer in Kentucky including potential interest in starting a new food hub in Clark County, and share about a new extension program for Clark County farmers new to vegetable production of all sizes that is being planned for this upcoming year called the Intensive Vegetable Grower.

Tuesday, Jan. 30, will be dedicated to starting an agritourism operation on the farm. If you have ever had interest in starting a roadside produce market, corn maze, pumpkin patch, hosting on-farm tours for school groups or any other agritourism farming operation, you will want to attend. We have speakers from county and city government who will cover local laws, zoning ordinances related to agritourism and liability. We will have Kentucky Department of Agriculture representatives on hand to share about available resources to assist with agritourism in Kentucky.

The feature of this night will be Amanda Mulberry from Mulberry Farms in Shelbyville. Amanda will share her experience starting and operating a diverse agritourism operation that includes an orchard, roadside produce market, pumpkin patch and more.

Winter School begins at 6 p.m. at the Clark County Extension Service, located at 1400 Fortune Drive. It costs $10 to attend one or all sessions and on-site registration will be available. A meal is included in the cost of registration.

To find out more about the remaining sessions, or to pre-register, call 744-4682.

David Davis is the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources.