Conference looks at opportunities with small acreages, March 7 in St. Joseph

ST. JOSEPH, Mo.– Small acreages offer a variety of ways to generate income, ranging from raising fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry to enhancing your property for outdoor recreation or agritourism.

A University of Missouri Extension conference, March 7 in St. Joseph, will explore opportunities to put small acreages to work.

The second annual Small Acreage and Land Entrepreneur (SALE) Conference will provide a unique opportunity for small-acreage owners to learn and network on a variety of topics, and to visit with area business and agencies of interest to this group, said Randa Doty, MU Extension agricultural business specialist and one of the conference organizers.

The SALE Conference will feature a variety of sessions in four concurrent tracks. Sessions are scheduled to last 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions, and are timed to allow attendees to move from track to track.

New sessions this year include mushroom growing, high tunnel production, marketing, green cleaning, organic topics, farm to institution programs and using native plants to attract butterflies.

Other topics include beekeeping, beef/sheep/goats, aquaculture, poultry, rabbits, alternative energy, saving seeds, fruit trees and food preservation.

Presenters include MU Extension specialists, private landowners and representatives from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The conference runs 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Spratt Hall on the Missouri Western State University campus, St. Joseph. For map and directions, go to https://www.missouriwestern.edu/about/directions.

A trade show starts at 8:30 a.m. and will run throughout the day.

Registration is $40 per person if received by Feb. 27 and $60 per person thereafter. Youth rate for those 18 and under is $25 by Feb. 27 and $30 thereafter.

You can download a printable agenda and mail-in registration form at http://extension.missouri.edu/nodaway/SALEconference2015.aspx.

For more information, contact Randa Doty at the MU Extension Center in Nodaway County at 660-582-8101 or [email protected], or Tom Fowler at the Buchanan County MU Extension Center at 816-279-1691 or [email protected].