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NDSU Extension Small Farms

Providing practical support for small farms and rural households.

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Welcome to NDSU Extension Small Farms — your gateway to practical, research-based resources that help small farm owners, gardeners, and local food producers succeed, from livestock and horticulture to food preservation, value-added products, marketing, and local food systems.

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Female farmer carrying crate of organic vegetables

Farm to School

Farm to School connects schools and early childcare programs with farmers and producers to promote the use of locally grown food in child nutrition programs. The primary goals of Farm to School initiatives are to 1) Enhance the quality of school and childcare meals 2) Support local agriculture and boost local economies and 3) Provide educational opportunities for children about nutrition, farming, and food systems.

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Field to Fork

Access a variety of educational materials from apples to zucchini. The resources cover growing, preparing and preserving. Every winter/spring season, at least 10 webinars from experts are provided, and webinars from 2016 to present are archived for easy viewing.

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Worker pouring fresh berries into an industrial food processing machine

Food Entrepreneurship

This one-stop shop provides links to business how-tos, rules and regulations, food safety, ingredient and equipment suppliers, and food testing and labeling. Check out the “Food Safety Best Practices for Local Food Entrepreneurs.” See the information for farmers markets and the mobile food industry.

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Gardening and Horticulture

Providing guidance to home gardeners or small farm owners on flowers, fruits, vegetables, trees, shrubs, and lawn care - along with programs like Master Gardener, youth workshops, and local garden variety trails.

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Sheep grazing in pasture

Livestock and Poultry

These resources from NDSU Extension and partner organizations provide practical, research-based guidance for small farms on livestock, forage, water, composting, and property management.

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Resources

Explore local farms, ranches and businesses that grow, produce and sell products. Learn how to become a Pride of Dakota company. Explore the training opportunities offered by partner organizations.

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Get in Touch

If you have any questions or comments regarding NDSU Extension Small Farms, don't hesitate to reach out to your local Extension office. We're happy to help!

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