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Farmer Field Days, Workshops and WebinarsMeet up with other farmers and agricultural professionals on working farms to see organic systems in action! Share your successes and your challenges with peers and connect with useful resource providers. OAK's Farmer Education Events are on-farm and virtual learning opportunities offered monthly for farmers, ag professionals and local food system allies. OAK welcomes farmers from all types and scales of farms - large and small scale, organic and conventional, urban and rural.OAK Members and Member Farms receive discounted registration pricing to OAK events. Keep up-to-date with the details of every farmer-to-farmer learning event - subscribe to our Field Notes newsletter.
Explore event Summaries and Resources for past farmer-focused events (2022-2024) below. Have suggestions for future farms, practices or topics to highlight? Let OAK know.
Upcoming Events
Conservation ChatVirtual Gathering -- May 20, 2025, 6 - 7 pm ET
OAK Conservation Chats are open, virtual gatherings where Kentucky farmers, growers and landowners connect with peers and OAK conservation staff to share experiences and ask questions about on-the-ground conservation. The May 2025 Chat features Fleming County farmers Marietta Labbato and Perriee Williamson of Loving Farm who will share their experience with on-farm pollinator plantings. Conservation Chat participants explore the basics of conservation practices and how to engage with technical and financial assistance through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Tailored to the needs and goals of registered participants, topics may include connecting with NRCS field staff, applying for NRCS cost-share programs, identifying appropriate conservation practices to meet farm/land goals and interpreting NRCS payment timelines and scenarios. These events are conversational and not recorded, to promote participant engagement and peer-to-peer connections. This event is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Register HERE
First Five Years of an Organic Market GardenDreamTime Market Gardens, Lexington KY -- June 10, 2025, 1 - 4pm ET
From an open field in the summer of 2020 to a certified organic farm with 1.2 acres of open and covered vegetable and herb production serving an on-farm market, restaurant, grocery and wholesale outlets, DreamTime Market Gardens has grown steadily in its first five years. Zach Selby transitioned his work from full-time chef and backyard gardener to full-time organic farmer by learning from other farmers, building in annual growth to infrastructure and production systems, cultivating market and customer relationships, leaning on funding and technical assistance programs, expanding crops and product offerings and growing his farm staff. At this Farmer Field Day, Zach will walk us through DreamTime’s fields, high tunnels, pack-shed and greenhouse; share his production planning and processes and demonstrate seeding equipment and cultural practices. The Field Day conversation will also explore Zach’s inside perspective on working with restaurants and chefs, the challenges of not living on-farm and farming with limited water access. Grow Appalachia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture provided support for this Field Day. OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).
Register HERE
Community-Supported Agriculture and Pastured LivestockOld Homeplace Farm, Oneida KY -- June 23, 2025, 4 - 7pm ET
At Old Homeplace Farm in Clay County, Maggie and Will Bowling bring generations of family knowledge into their farming endeavors. Maggie grew up on an organic vegetable farm in southern Ohio. For decades, Will has helped with his family’s livestock farm a few miles upstream from his and Maggie’s current farm. Since 2014, the Bowlings have worked to develop healthy pasture systems; soil health and crop diversity; harvest, post-harvest and storage infrastructure; and a community of customers and supporters. In addition to an online store and local drop-off options, Old Homeplace Farm offers 20-week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares featuring 35 crops and options to add meat, cut flower or honey selections. In this Farmer Field Day, Maggie will provide a look at her greenhouse, high tunnels, packing shed and field crops as she walks participants through her vegetable production, post-harvest and packing systems. Maggie will share the growth of her farm, including equipment, infrastructure and labor needs, while maintaining the growth to a scale that a small crew of three or four farm staff can manage. Join the Field Day to hear Maggie’s considerations of pursuing organic certification and her involvement with the Kentucky Farm Share Coalition. Will will share the pastured livestock operation, including grass-finished beef, sheep and goats, and recent efforts to build silvopasture systems into their rotational grazing. Grow Appalachia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture provided support for this Field Day. OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).
Register HERE
Conservation on an Urban FarmBearFruit & Grow, Louisville, KY -- July 29, 2025, 9am - 12pm ET |
Along the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creek in Northeastern Fayette County, Headwater Farm cultivates nutrient-dense produce for community partners and supports small local agribusinesses in Lexington. On this 30-acre parcel of leased land, Lexington nonprofit Seedleaf provides acreage to small-scale growers, cultivates culturally significant seeds for organic markets and offers community education on organic agriculture and agroforestry. Join us for this Field Day at Headwater Farm to learn more about Seedleaf’s community farming practices during seasonal crop transitions and the coordinated efforts of growing food and supporting local ecosystems. Learn about Seedleaf’s partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to support healthy soil-building, improve Elkhorn Creek’s water quality and enhance pollinator habitat. Discover Seedleaf’s cooperative approach with multiple community gardeners on shared land to ensure clarity and coordination in a community space. Experience their techniques for sowing and terminating cover crops (crimping, tarping and mowing) with multiple scales of equipment. 