The Westmoreland County Conservation District and many partners are hosting a Next Generation Farm Summit on June 29 at the Donohoe Center, 218 Donohoe Road in Greensburg from Noon until 3:30.
The future of farming in Westmoreland County is looking very different from the days when dairy farms dominated the landscape.
Yet, different doesn’t mean diminished.
In fact, agriculture has a very good chance of keeping its place as Westmoreland County’s number one industry because of the many new and exciting agricultural opportunities on the horizon -- from industrial hemp, which is now being legally grown in Pennsylvania for the first time in 80 years, to year-round farming inside abandoned warehouses.
An upcoming free Summit will explore emerging trends in agriculture, and offer ways to make today’s farm operations successful, including ways to diversify growing, connect farm products with local businesses, and make operations more energy efficient.
Area farmers who already have successfully built a niche market for their products – including John and Sukey Jamison of Jamison’s Lamb Farm, Jessica Hoover of Jessi’s Chickens, and organic goat and free-range chicken farmer Richard Nolt – will share their experiences.
And a variety of agricultural agencies and partners will be on-hand with information about their programs, including the Department of Agriculture with its new apprenticeship program that prepares journeyman technicians to work on agricultural equipment without the need for a college education.
Other participants in the farm summit include: its sponsors, Westmoreland Conservation District, AgChoice Farm Credit, and Commonwealth Alternative Medical Options; in addition to Peoples Natural Gas; Hollymead Capital; Chatham University’s sustainable Eden Hall campus; Republic Food Enterprise Center; Penn State Extension Westmoreland County; PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture; U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development, Farm Service Agency, and Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; Westmoreland Land Trust; PA Veterans Farming Project/Troops to Tractors; Southwest Project Grass; and National Young Farmers Coalition.
There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is required, ideally by June 20. To register, go online to the Next Generation Farm Summit webpage or call Sandy Donovan at 724-837-5271.
(Photo: Jamison’s Lamb Farm.)
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