From a few tomato plants in a rooftop garden to acre-sized community
farms, profitable plants are sprouting up all over Philadelphia. With
the end of the harvest season upon us, Penn State University comes to the
Enterprise Center in West Philly this week, pulling farmers out of the fields and into
the classroom in the name of good agribusiness.
With open-enrollment extension course
"Income Opportunities in Agriculture," students will learn successful business practices for
urban farmers interested in taking their crops to market. How do you set
prices? How do you market yourself? Who can you partner with to become
more profitable? Enlisting professors from PSU's
College of Agriculture,
many with corporate farming backgrounds, this course will make sure you
always have a plentiful harvest.
"The people we are attracting are people following their passions and
hopefully building it into something bigger," says Penn State extension
director John Byrnes. "Philadelphia has some larger urban ag
institutions--Greensgrow and the Weavers Way farm. These are places
where people can hold down jobs and make a living. This is giving people
the opportunity to learn about business and give them a shot at
augmenting their income."
The course is part of a series of Penn State urban agriculture offerings
delivered annually around the end of the market season.
Penn State's agricultural extension program partners with local learning professionals to bring course offerings to people off campus as well. The College of Agriculture first presented
"Exploring Your Small Farm Dream" for beginning farmers looking for an
idea. "Income Opportunities in Agriculture" starts Tuesday, Nov. 9
from 6-8 pm at the Enterprise Center. Registration is $20 and
can be taken care of
here.
Source: John Byrnes, Penn State University
Writer: John Steele